Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, held bilateral talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday as India and Japan sought to further deepen their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
The meeting took place after Prime Minister Takaichi was accorded a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, where PM Modi received her and introduced her to members of his Cabinet and senior officials.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and senior officials from both countries were present during the bilateral talks.
Sharing details of the meeting, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X, “Taking forward a partnership anchored in trust, shared values and strategic convergence. PM Narendra Modi warmly received Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan at the Hyderabad House today.”
In another post, the MEA described the relationship as “a partnership for the future, built on trust and rooted in shared values.”
PM Takaichi is on a three-day official visit to India at the invitation of PM Modi, which marks her first official trip to India since assuming office and comes ahead of the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit.
The summit is expected to review the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation while providing an opportunity for both leaders to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Ahead of the summit, the Japanese Cabinet Public Relations Office expressed its appreciation for the reception extended by India, posting on X, “Our heartfelt thanks for your warm welcome. We are very much excited to be visiting India!”
In another post following the ceremonial reception, it said, “The welcome ceremony has just concluded, and Prime Minister Takaichi will hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Modi afterward.”
Before departing for India, Prime Minister Takaichi had underlined the growing importance of Japan’s partnership with India amid an increasingly uncertain global environment.
“Through this visit, I hope to advance concrete cooperation with Prime Minister Modi in three key areas: deepening the Japan-India strategic partnership in light of the current international situation; promoting cooperation in economic security; and strengthening collaboration between businesses of our two countries in investment and innovation,” she had said.
She also noted that India and Japan, as major democracies in Asia, share responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and expressed her intention to discuss the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, including cooperation through the Quad framework.
(With agency inputs)
