New Delhi, July 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday that India and Japan have signed their first co-development project in the defense sector. He described this agreement as a significant step in elevating the strategic relationship between the two nations.
During a joint press conference held after the annual India-Japan summit at Hyderabad House with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Modi emphasized Japan’s crucial role in India’s development journey.
Referring to Takaichi as his “little sister,” Modi stated that her visit marks the beginning of a new chapter in the special strategic and global partnership between India and Japan.
He remarked, “The fusion of Japan’s precision technology and India’s software capabilities will accelerate the global development of artificial intelligence (AI). Today, we have also signed an agreement for the first joint development project in the defense sector.”
Welcoming Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Takaichi, Modi noted that this is her inaugural official visit to India.
He added, “Prime Minister Takaichi is a visionary and popular leader from Nara Prefecture, a significant center of our shared Buddhist heritage.”
Modi recalled his remarks at the recent G7 summit, where he stated that mutual trust is the greatest strategic asset during these turbulent global times, and the India-Japan relationship fully meets this criterion.
He highlighted that a free, prosperous, and rules-based Indo-Pacific is a shared priority for both nations.
Modi pointed out that India and Japan are the two largest democratic and market-based economies in Asia, and both countries have initiated several new initiatives that will lay a robust foundation for stability and prosperity across the region.
He acknowledged Japan’s remarkable contributions to India’s development journey over the past decades in sectors such as automobiles and electronics. This collaboration has strengthened the bonds of friendship and trust between the two nations.
With Takaichi’s visit, Modi stated that the special strategic partnership between the two countries is entering a new phase.
He revealed that both nations have prepared a joint roadmap for economic security, aimed at strengthening supply chains in strategic areas like semiconductors, quantum technology, and advanced materials. He also mentioned several important decisions made in the field of energy security.
Additionally, Modi announced the launch of the India-Japan biogas initiative. Under this initiative, 1,000 biogas and organic fertilizer plants will be established in India, further enhancing the central government’s ‘Gobardhan’ initiative, while creating new opportunities for sustainable development and employment in rural areas.
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