India is an indispensable partner for free and open Indo-Pacific: Japanese foreign minister

New Delhi: India is an indispensable partner to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific and Tokyo would like to further expand cooperation in the region with New Delhi, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday.

In an address at the India-Japan Forum, the visiting minister also referred to an assertion by the leaders of the G7 countries in the grouping's Hiroshima summit in May that any attempts to change the status quo by force cannot be tolerated anywhere.

Hayashi said Japan is very keen to work hand-in-hand with India to make its G20 presidency successful, especially the upcoming summit of the intergovernmental forum.

The Japanese foreign minister said a call for upholding international law may sound like a mere slogan unless the challenges being faced by the Global South are dealt with effectively.

In his comments, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described Japan as India's natural partner.

Hayashi arrived in Delhi on Thursday on a two-day visit.