Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday evening on a three-day official visit to India to participate in the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, where the two countries are expected to deepen cooperation in areas such as economic security, resilient supply chains, emerging technologies, defence and maritime security.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Takaichi on her first official visit to India.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, welcome to India. We sincerely welcome your first visit to India. I look forward to exchanging views across a wide range of fields tomorrow to further deepen the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The two countries will continue to cooperate to contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”
Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh received the Japanese Prime Minister upon her arrival.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also welcomed Takaichi, saying her visit marks another important milestone in advancing the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
The visit, taking place from July 1 to July 3 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, is Takaichi’s first official visit to India since assuming office.
During her stay, the Japanese Prime Minister will hold summit talks with Prime Minister Modi, participate in the India-Japan Business Forum, and interact with business leaders from both countries.
Ahead of her departure from Tokyo, Takaichi described India as an increasingly important strategic partner amid evolving geopolitical and economic challenges. She said her discussions with Prime Minister Modi would focus on deepening strategic cooperation, promoting economic security and expanding collaboration between businesses in both countries.
She also highlighted the participation of more than 150 representatives from Japan’s business community in the India-Japan Business Forum, saying stronger public-private collaboration would help expand bilateral economic cooperation and promote investment and innovation.
According to the MEA, the annual summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.
The discussions are expected to focus on expanding economic engagement, strengthening strategic coordination and enhancing cooperation in critical technologies, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, batteries and energy resilience. Both sides are also expected to discuss measures to build resilient supply chains and strengthen industrial cooperation.
Defence, maritime security and Indo-Pacific cooperation are also expected to feature prominently in the talks. The two sides are likely to discuss the proposed Industrial Value Chain connecting the Bay of Bengal with India’s Northeast, aimed at strengthening regional connectivity and manufacturing partnerships.
The summit is expected to conclude with a Joint Statement reaffirming the strategic partnership, along with agreements and memoranda of understanding in areas such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, pharmaceuticals, batteries and critical minerals.
India and Japan elevated their relationship to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014 and have since expanded cooperation across defence, infrastructure, trade, digital technologies, clean energy, mobility, healthcare and people-to-people exchanges.
The summit builds on the outcomes of the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, held in Tokyo in August 2025, during which both countries adopted a Joint Vision for the Next Decade, launched the India-Japan Economic Security Initiative, signed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, and unveiled an Action Plan for Human Resource Exchange to facilitate the movement of more than five lakh people between the two countries over the next five years.
-ANI
