PM Modi- Kishida hold talks; security, critical equipment supply chains discussed

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida (Image credit: ANI/Twitter)

India and Japan discussed semiconductor and other critical equipment supply chains crucial for automobile, electrical goods, mobile phones, and other sectors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida said in a statement in New Delhi on March 20.

The two leaders held talks after Kishida arrived in the national capital earlier in day on a two-day visit to India. “Semiconductor and critical equipment supply chains were discussed. Defence equipment, trade, and digital cooperation were also discussed between the two countries,” Modi said.

In 2022, India aimed to receive Rs 3.20 lakh crore of Japanese investments over the next five years, which was progressing well,” the Prime Minister added.

He also thanked Kishida for inviting him to the G7 leadership summit to be held in May at Hiroshima. Japan is the chair of G7, a grouping which also has the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the UK as its members.

The Japanese prime minister will be in India again in September for the G20 leadership summit.

Seeking to address speculation of delay in the bullet train project, Modi said the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICO) funded Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail was progressing with a great speed.

The year 2023 has been chosen as the tourism exchange year between India and Japan with the theme ‘connecting Himalayas with Mount Fuji’.

The India-Japan industrial competitiveness partnership, which was set up in 2019 to boost logistics, food processing, MSME, textile, steel and machinery, was progressing was going well, he said.

India and Japan needed to play an important role in these difficult times, Kishida said. Countries from the global south would also be in attendance at the G7 summit at Hiroshima.

“India and Japan discussed close cooperation in development finance, food security, climate and energy. The two countries will continue cooperation on decarbonisation and energy,” he said.

Kishida said that Japan would also discuss a free and open Indo-Pacific with India, which was its indispensable partner.

India was Japan’s special strategic global partner in the domain of security, the Japanese leader said. The two countries had held 2+2 foreign and defence ministerial meetings in September 2022. India and Japan also undertook joint defence exercises in January 2023.