Today, India and Japan signed 15 agreements to broaden their strategic partnership and further agreed to strengthen cooperation in the Indo Pacific region.
On Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s trip to India, Narendra Modi discussed with him key bilateral issues on regional and international matters. They also discussed different ways to strengthen their ties in trade, security and civil nuclear energy.
Prime Minister Modi was quoted saying at a joint press event with Prime Minister Abe, “The range of special strategic and global partnership is not just limited to the bilateral and regional sphere. We have close cooperation on global issues as well.”
Prime Minister Abe said, “We have just signed a joint statement which will serve as a milestone to open a new era for Japan-India relationship… based on that we will strongly promote Japan-India special strategic and global partnership to drive peace and prosperity for (the) Indo-Pacific region and the whole world.”
Modi addressed the civil nuclear energy pact as well, “We had signed a historical pact for peaceful use of nuclear energy during my visit to Japan last year. I am wholeheartedly thanking Japan’s parliament, its people and particularly Prime Minister Abe for its ratification.”
Japan will be loaning most of the financial requirements for the first bullet train in India. Prime Minister Modi said, “It is a major step. It is not just the beginning of high-speed rail. I consider this railway philosophy a lifeline (jeevan rekha), considering our future requirements.”
