External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar praised former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his vision in creating the Quad, a strategic security dialogue involving Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.

During the launch of a book on Abe, Jaishankar emphasized the importance of the Quad in strengthening India-Japan relations.

The book titled "The Importance of Shinzo Abe: India, Japan and the Indo-Pacific" features 16 essays written by diplomats, academics, and journalists from Japan and India. It was edited by Sanjaya Baru, a former journalist and public policy analyst.

Jaishankar highlighted that relations with Japan is a foreign policy prospect that unites both ends of the political spectrum in India, with no differences between the extreme right and left on recognizing its importance.

According to Jaishankar, it is important to have a positive definition of the relationship that Abe envisioned between India and Japan.

He added that labeling the relationship as 'anti-China' or 'anti-West' would be unfair to both countries. Instead, the relationship should be based on their shared hopes and aspirations for the future.

Jaishankar also highlighted the meeting of the "New Japan" and the "New India" in the past decade. This can be seen in the strong chemistry between the prime ministers of both countries, he emphasized.