NEW DELHI: India and Japan on Thursday condemned Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism and called for immediate global action against all UN-listed terrorist entities and their proxies, specifically naming Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Al Qaeda and ISIS.In a joint statement released after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, the two leaders explicitly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and the Red Fort blast in November last year.They emphasised that the international community must take resolute measures to eliminate terrorist safe havens, disrupt the nexus between terror financing and transnational crime, and stop the cross-border movement of terrorists.The two leaders also expressed serious concern over the situations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.They voiced strong opposition to any unilateral actions that endanger freedom of navigation and overflight, attempts to change the status quo by force, or the growing militarisation of disputed features in the region.The joint statement also underscored the need to strengthen the rules-based international order through urgent reforms of global institutions. Modi and Takaichi reaffirmed their commitment to working with the other G4 nations to push for the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), arguing that its current structure no longer reflects present-day geopolitical realities.Calling for tangible progress, the two leaders backed the launch of text-based negotiations under the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) framework to achieve concrete outcomes within a fixed timeline. India and Japan also reiterated their support for each other’s bid for permanent membership of a reformed UNSC, while endorsing one another’s future candidatures for non-permanent seats.On regional and global security, the leaders voiced concern over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, calling for its complete denuclearisation and urging all UN member states to fully implement sanctions related to arms transfers.Addressing the Middle East, Modi and Takaichi stressed the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard global energy supplies. They also called for the implementation of a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza alongside a credible two-state solution. On Ukraine, the two leaders reiterated their support for a just and lasting peace in line with the principles of the UN Charter.Takaichi was on a three-day official visit to India from July 1 to July 3 at Modi’s invitation. During the visit, the two leaders held the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, reviewing the full spectrum of bilateral ties and discussing key regional and global developments.
