Knews Desk- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is reaching New Delhi on July 1. This will be his first visit to India after becoming Prime Minister, which will continue till July 3. During this, she will participate in the 16th India-Japan annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting is part of the traditional high-level dialogue between the two countries held on a rotating basis every year, with the last summit being held in Tokyo.
This time Prime Minister Takaichi is coming to Delhi directly from Rome, where he had earlier discussed Japan’s Indo-Pacific strategy with the Italian Prime Minister. His visit is not being considered just a formal diplomatic visit, but is being seen as an important step towards further strengthening the India-Japan strategic partnership.
Emphasis on investment and economic cooperation
The biggest agenda in this tour will be investment and economic cooperation. Last year, Japan had set a target of 10 trillion yen (about US$68 billion) of private investment in India over the next 10 years. During this visit, there will be discussion on implementation of this investment plan and review of progress. Top executives of big Japanese companies like Toyota Tsusho, Itochu and Suzuki may also be part of the tour. A high-level business dialogue is also proposed between the two countries.
Defense and security cooperation will be strengthened
Defense and maritime security will also be major topics of discussion. Both countries will consider joint defense production, naval cooperation and enhancing security coordination in the Indo-Pacific region. This cooperation assumes even more strategic importance amidst the increasing activities of China.
Focus on semiconductor and energy security
India and Japan will discuss increasing cooperation in semiconductor, critical minerals and battery technology, so that dependence on any one country in the supply chain can be reduced. Along with this, there will also be talks on LNG and energy security in view of the affected energy supply due to the Middle East crisis.
Bullet train and plan to increase public relations
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail (bullet train) project, which is being run with Japanese ODA assistance, will also be in the news. Apart from this, there will also be discussion on exchange of five lakh people and plan to send 50 thousand Indian skilled workers to Japan in the next five years.
India’s important role in Indo-Pacific strategy
This year marks the completion of 10 years of Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP) vision, which was initiated by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Sanae Takaichi is considered the political heir to Abe’s policies. In such a situation, his visit indicates further strengthening of India’s role in this strategy.
Overall, this summit will not only give a new direction to bilateral relations, but it can also have a wide-ranging impact on the strategic politics of the Indo-Pacific region.
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