Pleased to welcome you: PM Modi welcomes Japanese PM for three-day visit to India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, who arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties.

Welcoming Takaichi on his first visit to India as Japanese Prime Minister, Modi said he looked forward to holding wide-ranging discussions that would further deepen the special and global strategic partnership between India and Japan.

“A very warm welcome to India, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi… Through our joint efforts, we will continue to advance peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Modi posted on X.

Arriving in India, Takaichi said his talks with Modi would focus on pressing issues such as economic security and energy security, while exploring ways to deepen strategic cooperation amid the evolving global situation.

“I have arrived in Delhi, the capital of India. As Prime Minister of Japan, this will be my first visit to India in about three years, and personally, my first ever visit to the country,” she said in a message.

Takaichi’s visit, his first official trip to India since taking office, comes less than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Tokyo for the 15th annual India-Japan summit.

THE TWO PMS WILL PRESIDE THE ANNUAL SUMMIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi will co-chair the 16th annual India-Japan Summit, the highest-level bilateral dialogue between the two countries, to be held alternately in New Delhi and Tokyo.

The summit is expected to review progress in trade, technology, infrastructure, defense cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, while also covering key regional and global developments. The two leaders are expected to issue a joint statement outlining the next phase of the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership.

The visit is also expected to build on the momentum generated during Modi’s visit to Japan last year, when the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as security, economic resilience and innovation.

INDIA-JAPAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION

The economic partnership should be at the center of the discussions.

The two sides will likely explore ways to boost investment, promote innovation and strengthen resilient supply chains in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, batteries and critical minerals.

India and Japan are also expected to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and clean energy. Several final documents, including memorandums of understanding in areas such as artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, battery technology and critical minerals, are likely to be signed.

GREEN ENERGY, A BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP OF INTEREST

The leaders are also expected to discuss major investment proposals, including a large-scale green ammonia project in Odisha, enhanced biogas collaboration and efforts to strengthen regional energy resilience through the POWERR Asia initiative.

During his visit, Takaichi will participate in the India-Japan Business Forum, where industrial leaders from both countries are expected to explore new avenues of investment and collaboration.

Around 1,400 Japanese companies operate in India, almost half of which are in the manufacturing sector. Japanese companies have also been expanding their presence in the Indian financial sector, including recently investing $1.6 billion to acquire a 20% stake in Yes Bank.

The summit is also expected to review progress made under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, with both countries reaffirming their commitment to a stable, rules-based regional order and secure maritime lanes.

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