Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold summit-level talks with his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, in New Delhi on Thursday during the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, with both leaders set to review the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and exchange views on key regional and global developments.
The visit marks Takaichi’s first official trip to India since assuming office and follows PM Modi’s visit to Tokyo in August 2025 for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit.
Welcoming the visiting leader, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “A very warm welcome to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan, who arrives in New Delhi on an Official Visit. PM Takaichi was received by Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh. The visit marks an important step in taking forward the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan.”
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh received the Japanese Prime Minister upon her arrival at Palam airport.
Expressing gratitude for the warm reception, Japan’s Cabinet Public Relations Office said on X, “Our heartfelt thanks for your warm welcome. We are very much excited to be visiting India!”
PM Modi also welcomed Takaichi on his arrival. “A very warm welcome to India, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. We are delighted to host you on your first visit to India and I look forward to our wide-ranging discussions tomorrow that will further deepen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
“Through our joint efforts, we will continue to advance peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” he added.
Ahead of her departure from Tokyo, Takaichi underlined the growing importance of cooperation with India amid an increasingly uncertain global environment.
“Amid growing uncertainty in the international situation, the importance of collaboration with India, which shares fundamental values and strategic interests, is only increasing,” she said.
The Japanese Prime Minister said she intends to advance concrete cooperation with PM Modi in three key areas: deepening the strategic partnership, promoting cooperation in economic security, and strengthening collaboration between businesses of both countries in investment and innovation.
“I intend to advance concrete cooperation with Prime Minister Modi, centering on three points: deepening the strategic cooperative relationship between Japan and India, promoting cooperation in economic security, and fostering collaboration between companies of both countries toward investment and innovation,” she said.
Highlighting the economic dimension of the visit, Takaichi said the Japan-India Economic Forum would be held with the participation of representatives from more than 150 Japanese companies and business organisations.
“Working together with the private sector, I hope to broaden the scope of Japan-India cooperation and realise a strong economy,” she said.
Emphasising the strategic importance of bilateral ties, Takaichi noted that India and Japan, as leading democracies in Asia, share responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
“India, along with Japan, is one of Asia’s leading democracies and shares responsibility to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Against this backdrop, I look forward to having thorough discussions with Prime Minister Modi on efforts to realise a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), including cooperation through the Quad framework,” she said.
She also expressed hope that the visit would further strengthen her personal rapport with Prime Minister Modi.
Earlier, Japan’s Ambassador to India, Ono Keiichi, described Takaichi’s visit as a significant opportunity to further strengthen people-to-people ties, calling them the cornerstone of the India-Japan relationship.
The MEA also highlighted the growing focus on skilled workforce mobility between the two countries during the recently held Human Resource Mobility Forum, where emerging pathways for India-Japan cooperation in mobility were discussed.
(With agency inputs)
