NEW DELHI (Reuters) -The Quad group of countries is important for India and Japan for issues including critical minerals, India’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, adding that the prime ministers of the two countries would discuss the grouping this week.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Japan on August 29-30 for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit during which he will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba.

Modi will then fly to the Chinese port city of Tianjin for the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on August 31-September 1.

The so-called Quad grouping includes India, Japan, Australia and the U.S. and New Delhi is expected to host the summit of its leaders this year amid a souring of its ties with Washington over tariffs imposed

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