Press Statement by PM during the visit of the PM of Japan to India

Your Excellency, Prime Minister Kishida, Distinguished delegates, Namaskar! It gives me great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Kishida on his first visit to India as Prime Minister of Japan. On behalf of the whole of India, I convey my condolences for the loss of life and property due to the earthquake in Japan a few days ago. Friends, Prime Minister Kishida has been an old friend of India. He had visited India several times as Foreign Minister, and I had the opportunity to exchange views with him. Prime Minister Kishida has played a key role in the unprecedented progress that has been seen in the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership over the last few years. Today’s summit has been organized at a very important time. The world is still grappling with Covid-19 and its effects. The process of global economic recovery is still being hampered. Geo-political events are also presenting new challenges. In this context, further deepening of the India-Japan partnership is not only important for both the countries. This will also promote peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and at the entire world level. Our mutual trust, our shared values such as our civilizational ties, democracy, freedom, and rule of law, are at the core of our relations, giving them strength. Our discussions today have paved the way for taking our mutual cooperation to new heights. We exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues besides bilateral issues. We also decided to increase our coordination at the United Nations and other international fora. Friends, The India-Japan Economic Partnership has made unprecedented progress over the last several years. There is tremendous trust, enthusiasm in the businesses of both countries. Japan is one of the largest investors in India, a world class partner. We are very grateful for this contribution. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project is progressing well. Both the countries are working on this with the approach of ‘One Team One Project’. This project is a great example of India-Japan partnership. I am happy that we have exceeded the investment target of three point five trillion Japanese yen set in 2014. Now we have decided to take our ambitions to new heights and have set a new target of five trillion yen, which means about three lakh twenty thousand crore rupees in the coming five years. You all know that in the last few years, India has adopted comprehensive economic reforms and has taken a big leap in ease of doing business. Today India presents limitless possibilities for “Make in India for the world”. In this context, Japanese companies have been our brand ambassadors for a long time. New dimensions are being added to the partnership between us in technology and innovation sectors. We are committed to provide a conducive environment for Japanese companies in India. The India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership Roadmap launched today will prove to be an effective mechanism for this. Our skills partnership with Japan will also play an effective role in this direction. Friends, Both India and Japan understand the importance of secure, trusted, predictable and stable energy supply. It is very essential for achieving the goal of sustainable economic growth and to tackle the problem of climate change. Our Clean Energy Partnership will prove to be a decisive step in this direction. Today we have agreed on many other important points and announcements have been made. This visit of Prime Minister Kishida has been successful in adding new dimensions to the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership. Once again, I extend a very warm welcome to Prime Minister Kishida and his delegation to India. Thank you!