Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is currently in Tokyo, Japan to discuss matters of international security and cooperation with other Quad members —Japan, Australia and the United States.
However, S Jaishankar's unique ties with Japan are less known.
From 1996 to 2000, Jaishankar was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy in Tokyo. His stint in Tokyo was mired by sour relations between India and Japan after the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, but Jaishankar was able to revive the relationship. Then Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori visited India in that period which bolstered the recovery in the relationship.
Jaishankar also reportedly introduced former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Manmohan Singh.
The Union Minister is married to Kyoko Jaishankar, who is of Japanese origin. He can also speak Japanese.
Published 06 October 2020, 06:46 IST