India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a robust backer of stronger India-Japan relations, is expected to travel to Tokyo towards July-end or early August.
Modi was scheduled to go on a state visit to Japan July 3-5, but the forthcoming budget session in India – his first since taking charge – has prompted him to defer his trip. Official sources said that the visit will now take place after the budget session is over, which could be around July-end or early August.
In a letter dated July 19, Modi wrote to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressing his regret at having to postpone his Japan visit. He underlined that he looked forward to exploring India and Japan’s shared interests, and that he wanted to visit Japan at the “earliest opportunity.” The letter was personally handed over by India’s ambassador to Japan Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa.
Modi is known to be an admirer of Japan’s technological prowess and will be looking to enlist Tokyo’s proactive support and investment in building India’s infrastructure sector. Modi had visited Japan as the chief minister of Gujarat and had developed a personal rapport with the nationalist prime minister of Japan.
The two leaders have been eloquent about their desire to improve India-Japan ties. They seek to build on gains made during Mr. Abe’s visit to India in January this year as chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations. On May 20, Mr. Abe had tweeted “Great talking to you, Mr. Modi. I look forward to welcoming you in Tokyo and further deepening our friendly ties.” To which Modi had tweeted back: “I am sure we will take India-Japan ties to newer heights.” Earlier, Mr. Abe said he hoped to develop the strategic cooperation between Japan and India through annual summit meetings.
This personal chemistry with Abe will now come in handy as Modi travels to Japan, a trip which will be watched globally, and specially in China which has tended to view the burgeoning New Delhi-Tokyo ties with unease.
In an article, The Japan Times said that the prime ministers of India and Japan are expected to establish “close coordination” in tackling China’s assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region during the visit.
India is, however, not in the game of containment, say Indian officials. Going by Modi’s track record as the chief minister of Gujarat when he visited both China and Japan and brought in investments for his state, India’s new prime minister can be expected to bolster ties with both Beijing and Tokyo to achieve national development goals. Building closer ties with Japan will, however, serve as a useful counterbalance to keep Chinese assertiveness vis-à-vis India in check, say some experts.
People-to-people relations between India and Japan, Asia’s two leading democracies, are also poised for an upswing.
On June 17, Japan decided to ease visa regulations for Indian nationals. According to the Japanese embassy in India, the issuance of multiple-entry visa for Indians will begin shortly.
Author Profile
- India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.
Latest entries
DiplomacyDecember 14, 2024India, Iran and Armenia Advance Connectivity Push with Trilateral Talks in New Delhi- DiplomacyDecember 13, 2024Brazil’s G20 Presidency will focus on tangible results on UNSC reforms, climate action
- DiplomacyDecember 6, 2024India and Vietnam Strengthen Security Ties at 3rd Deputy Ministerial-Level Dialogue
- India and the WorldDecember 6, 2024India and UK Revitalize Strategic Ties at 2+2 Dialogue in New Delhi
