India is getting much space at International platform for discussing important security concerns of the Asia-Pacific region now. Japan wants India to join the security talks with Australia and the US to discuss the matter related to North Koera and China.

At the same time, Japan has made it clear that India’s presence in security talks does not mean that the trio, US, Japan and Australia are trying to isolate China.

On Saturday, US President George W. Bush, Prime Minister John Howard and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe are scheduled to meet over breakfast to discuss the security issues including the issues related to North Korea and China.

Mitsuo Sakaba, a spokesman for Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said that Japan has proposed to the other allies, while supporting plans to hold the trilateral summit regularly, that India should join the discussion on security issues.

He said:

India shares common interests such as liberalism and democracy, with us. All the four countries, US, Japan, Australia and India, should now get together for discussing the regional situations at present.

We should discuss what we can co-operate on these matters. If we can hold such talks regularly, it will be helpful to maintain peace and stability in the region.

During the visit to India last month, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe had said that there was a need to create an arc of freedom and prosperity comprising the four nations. The scheduled three-way talks are being held on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Sydney.

Sakaba said at the same time that by proposing India in the forum for security talks was not provocative to China. According to him the proposal of trilateral talks was not directed to any specific country.

If China would lodge any official protest, we would explain about our stance to the Chinese side. US, Japan and Australia are trying to organize the talks only for achieving stability and prosperity in the region and to discuss the concerns over climate change.

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