Modi, Japan PM Kishida agree to advance infrastructure, cultural ties

Bari (Italy): Strong ties between India and Japan are important for a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said as he met his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Italy where the two leaders expressed a wish to advance bilateral ties across various sectors.

The Prime Minister, who was on a day-long visit to Apulia, southern Italy on Friday to address the Outreach session on day two of the three-day G7 Summit, met Kishida after addressing the multilateral gathering on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean.

“Strong ties between India and Japan are important for a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Modi said in a social media statement following his talks with Kishida.

His comments came amidst China's aggressive behaviour in the region as well as its efforts to expand its influence.

“Our nations look forward to working together in defence, technology, semiconductors, clean energy and digital technology. We also wish to advance ties in infrastructure and cultural linkages,” he said.

In a readout of the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Prime Minister thanked the Japanese counterpart for his congratulatory wishes on his re-election and affirmed that bilateral ties will continue to receive priority in his third term.

“The two leaders noted that the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is in its 10th year and expressed satisfaction at the progress made in the relationship. They discussed ways to deepen cooperation further, adding new and emerging areas, and strengthening B2B and P2P cooperation,” reads the MEA statement.

“India and Japan are collaborating on several important areas including the landmark Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project that will usher in the next stage in mobility in India, the targeted 5 trillion yen worth of Japanese investment in India in 2022-2027 period, and India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership aimed at transformation of our manufacturing cooperation. The meeting between the two Prime Ministers provided an opportunity to review some of these ongoing works of cooperation,” it noted.

The two leaders concluded their talks by stating that they looked forward to continuing their discussion at the next India-Japan annual summit.

The India-Japan bilateral came towards the end of the Prime Minister’s visit, following a series of discussions with the leaders of France, the UK, Ukraine, the US, Italy and Germany.