Development, not expansionism, says Modi with China on mind

In an oblique reference to perceived Chinese assertiveness in the region, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned against the tendency towards “expansionism”, and pitched for closer ties between India and Japan to help fructify a peaceful Asian century.

“We have to decide if we want to have ‘vikas vaad’ (development) or ‘vistar vaad’ (expansionism) which leads to disintegration,” said Modi while speaking to business titans of India and Japan in Tokyo.

“Those who follow the path of Buddha and have faith in ‘vikas vaad’, they develop. But we see, those having ideas of the 18th century, engage in encroachments and enter seas (of others),” said Modi on September 1, at a business luncheon with a delegation of Japan’s top industry leaders in Tokyo.

Read More

Japan to double investments in India, pledges 3.5 trillion yen boost

In a series of defining steps that will pitchfork India-Japan economic relations into a higher trajectory, Asia’s second and third largest economies will jointly work towards doubling Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) and the number of Japanese companies in India within the next five years.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who held wide-ranging talks in Tokyo on September 1, announced the formation of India–Japan Investment Promotion Partnership to take expanding bilateral trade relationship to the next level.

Under this investment partnership, which has the potential to be a game-changer in India’s quest for world-class infrastructure, Japan will give around 3.5 trillion yen ($33 billion) of public & private investments, including Overseas Development Assistance, to India in a five year period.

Read More

Modi embraces Kyoto smart heritage city model for Varanasi

Varanasi, the holy Hindu city which Modi represents in the Indian parliament, will be developed as a ‘smart city’, using the experiences of Kyoto. Kyoto, home to over 2000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, is renowned for its ability to merge the modern with the ancient, and is symbolic of the development of Japan – where cutting edge technology is used to preserve their historic legacy. The Kyoto-Varanasi pact has set the stage for rekindling civilizational ties between India and Japan, which will deepen the spiritual foundation for the burgeoning multi-pronged modern-day partnership.

Read More