A strong India-Japan friendship augurs well for entire planet, says PM Narendra Modi after meeting Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide

During the first in-person meeting between the two leaders in the post-COVID-19 period, they exchanged views on recent global and regional developments, including in Afghanistan.

Photo: PIB

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (September 23, 2021) had an 'excellent meeting' with his Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide and said that a strong India-Japan friendship augurs well for the entire planet. Meeting on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi called Japan India's one of the most valued partners. 

Japan is one of India’s most valued partners. I had an excellent meeting with PM @sugawitter on a variety of subjects that would further boost cooperation between our nations. A strong India-Japan friendship augurs well for the entire planet. pic.twitter.com/5N9ibqWDzy — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 24, 2021

During the first in-person meeting between the two leaders in the post-COVID-19 period, Modi thanked Suga for his personal commitment and leadership, both as Prime Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary earlier, in enabling great advances in the India-Japan Special Strategic & Global Partnership over the last few years. 

The Prime Minister also congratulated the Japanese PM for successfully hosting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games in the midst of a global pandemic. Both also discussed COVID-19 and efforts to address it. 

According to Prime Minister Modi's Office, the two leaders also recalled their three telephone conversations since September 2020, when Suga took office as Prime Minister of Japan. 

"The two Prime Ministers reviewed the multi-faceted relationship between the two countries and exchanged views on recent global and regional developments, including in Afghanistan. They reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. They agreed to enhance bilateral security and defence cooperation, including in the area of defence equipment and technologies," PMO said in a statement.

Modi and Suga also welcomed the increasing economic engagement between the two countries and welcomed the launch of the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) between India, Japan and Australia earlier this year as a collaborative mechanism to enable resilient, diversified and trustworthy supply chains. 

PM Modi, as per PMO, highlighted the need to develop bilateral partnerships in manufacturing, MSME and skill development. 

The two Prime Ministers also discussed climate change issues and green energy transition, and the potential for Japanese collaboration with India’s National Hydrogen Energy Mission. 

They reaffirmed their commitment to advance efforts to facilitate the smooth and timely implementation of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project.

Modi and Suga also welcomed the progress in bilateral developmental projects in India’s North Eastern Region under the India-Japan Act East Forum and noted possibilities for further enhancement of such cooperation.

"Prime Minister Suga expressed confidence that the strong momentum attained by the India-Japan partnership in the last few years will continue even under the new administration in Japan," the PMO informed.