Standing in solidarity with India, the Japanese ambassador to India Satoshi Suzuki on Friday re-iterated that Japan was opposed to any unilateral action to change the status quo along the India-China border.
In a strong gesture of support for India amidst the ongoing tensions with China along the LAC, Japan delivered a powerful message to China that it will not accept any change in status-quo along the India-China border. Suzuki, through his official Twitter handle, posted the solidarity message after his conversation with India’s foreign secretary Harsh Shringla.
The Ambassador added that Japan hopes for peaceful resolution of the tension through dialogues. He informed that he has been briefed on the situation along the LAC by India, and was informed that Indian govt intends to pursue a peaceful resolution for the issue.
The statement from Japan comes at the backdrop of several meetings at the diplomatic and military levels between India and China, which has failed to achieve any results to end impasse along the LAC and even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured the Ladakh sector to meet troops and be briefed on the situation.
Earlier in May, the Japanese government had backed the efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the standoff.
“The Government of Japan’s position is that it is closely monitoring the situation, as it may have an impact on regional stability. The Government of Japan hopes that this situation will be resolved peacefully through dialogue between the concerned parties,” the country’s foreign ministry had said in a statement on July 18.
Japan is one of the members of the ‘Quad’ — a strategic group of India, the US and Australia – that has been formed to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and to ensure it remains free from any kind of dispute.
On June 19, Japanese Ambassador to India Suzuki had reportedly conveyed Japan’s condolences to the people of India and to the families of the 20 Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty at Galwan Valley.