‘India-Japan cooperation vital in post-COVID world’: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Japan on a two-day visit to attend the Quad summit, said that the cooperation between the two countries is important in the post-COVID world. He added that Japan is partnering with India in key sectors such as “infrastructure, technology, innovation, start-ups”.

“Closer India-Japan cooperation is vital in the post-COVID world. Our nations are firmly committed to democratic values. Together, we are key pillars of a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region. I am equally glad that we are working closely in various multilateral forums as well,” he said. 

PM Modi further added, “I have had the opportunity of regularly interacting with the Japanese people since my days as Gujarat CM. Japan’s developmental strides have always been admirable. Japan is partnering India in key sectors including infrastructure, technology, innovation, start-ups and more.”

The Prime Minister also wrote an op-ed on the India-Japan relationship and called it a “partnership for peace, stability and prosperity”. The op-ed was published on Japanese news site Yomiuri.

In the op-ed, PM Modi said that the Japan-India relationship can be described as ‘special, strategic and global’. He added that the cultural ties between the two countries go back centuries. 

“From Bodhisena (an Indian monk who spread Buddhism in Japan during the Nara era) to Swami Vivekananda (a great religious leader in India), the cultural ties between the two countries are mutual. It has a long and rich history of respect and learning,” he said. 

India and Japan are celebrating their 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, he said. 

PM Modi credited Japan for being an “irreplaceable collaborator” to promote development and modernisation. He said that Japan’s investment and development support footprint extends throughout India. 

“The high-speed rail project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad symbolizes Japan's broad cooperation in the most important efforts towards a ‘new India’,” he said.

“The connection between the peoples of both countries has played an indispensable role in deepening mutual understanding. Many Indians are now working in Japan and contributing to the Japanese economy and society. Just as Japanese business executives are contributing to India's economic growth. This complementary relationship can be expanded in a wide variety of ways,” the PM wrote in the op-ed. 

He said that India-Japan relationship is important for “stable international economic relations”. 

“To that end, we will contribute to the construction of an open, free and inclusive Indo-Pacific. It is characterised by a safe ocean connection, integration by trade and investment, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity as documented in international law,” he wrote.

He said that not only development, the two countries will also work together in the space of infrastructure, connectivity, sustainability, health, and vaccines along the frameworks of Quad comprising Japan, the United States, Australia and India. PM Modi said that the peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region is very important for a better future for the world. 

Also read: PM Modi has 23 engagements in 40 hours of stay in Japan for Quad summit