Tokyo, Aug 25
India's Ambassador to Japan, Sibi George met Japan's House of Representatives Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga on Monday as both sides discussed ways to further strengthen Special Strategic and Global Partnership between two nations.
Following the meeting, the Indian Embassy in Japan in a statement on X wrote, "Ambassador Sibi George met H.E. Mr. Fukushiro Nukaga, Hon’ble Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, and discussed ways to strengthen further India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, including deepening cooperation in human resource exchanges."
Earlier in the day, Ambassador George met Group President of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, Toru Takakura and discussed enhancing financial ties between India and Japan.
"Ambassador Sibi George welcomed Mr. Toru Takakura, Group President of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group at Embassy of India in Tokyo and held fruitful discussions on furthering India- Japan Financial relations," the Indian Embassy in Japan posted on X.
Sibi George also held a meeting with Rev Tomohiro Kimura, Vice-Head of Religious Affairs, Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple and discussed efforts to strengthen Buddhist exchanges between India and Japan.
"Rev Tomohiro Kimura, Vice-Head of Religious Affairs, Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple, Tokyo met Ambassador Sibi George and discussed efforts for strengthening the Buddhist exchanges between India and Japan," the Indian Embassy in Japan stated on X.
The meetings come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan later this week. During his August 29-30 visit at the invitation of Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba, PM Modi will also participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit. This will be PM Modi's eighth visit to Japan and the first Summit with Ishiba.
"During the visit, the two Prime Ministers will review the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, including defense and security, trade and economy, technology and innovation, and people to people exchanges, as well as discuss issues of regional and global importance. The visit will reaffirm the longstanding special bond of friendship between the two countries," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ahead of the visit.
Earlier in June, PM Modi met Shigeru Ishiba during the G7 Summit at Kananaskis, Canada. The two leaders expressed commitment to further deepen bilateral ties across various sectors.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, "Insightful deliberations with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during the G7 Summit in Canada. India and Japan remain committed to further deepening bilateral ties across various sectors."
India-Japan relations were elevated to ‘Global Partnership’ in 2000, ‘Strategic and Global Partnership’ in 2006, and ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ in 2014. Regular annual summits have been held between India and Japan since 2006. Friendship between the two nations has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilisational ties.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The Buddhist exchange aspect is particularly meaningful. India gave Buddhism to Japan centuries ago, and now this spiritual connection can strengthen our modern relationship. Hope this leads to more cultural exchanges and tourism between our countries.
While I appreciate the diplomatic efforts, I hope these partnerships actually translate into tangible benefits for common people - more job opportunities, technology transfer, and affordable Japanese products in Indian markets. Sometimes these high-level meetings don't trickle down to ground reality.
The financial cooperation with Sumitomo Mitsui is significant. Japanese banks can bring much-needed stability and long-term perspective to Indian markets. Hope this means more Japanese investment in Indian startups and SMEs!
Japan's quality standards and work ethic combined with India's demographic dividend - this partnership has huge potential. Hope we see more collaboration in defense technology and renewable energy sectors. Modi's visit should focus on concrete deliverables.
Human resource exchanges mentioned here are crucial. More Indian professionals should get opportunities to work in Japan, and we should welcome Japanese experts here. This two-way learning will benefit both economies immensely. 🚀
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.