Japan visit aimed to boost trade, bilateral cooperation in new areas: Modi

Ahead of his visit to Japan on Saturday for the annual bilateral summit with his counterpart Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that his visit is aimed at boosting trade and investment ties and bilateral cooperation in new areas.

"I will have wide-ranging talks with Abe and interact with business leaders and captains of industry from both countries," Modi said in a pre-departure statement here, adding that he will also interact with members of the Indian community there.

"These interactions will help to further strengthen our trade and investment ties, and cooperation in new areas such as healthcare, digital technologies, agriculture and food processing, disaster risk reduction and disaster resilient infrastructure."
 

Stating that Japan was one of the "most trusted partners" in India's economic and technological modernisations and one of the top investors in India, Modi said: "Projects like Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail and Dedicated Freight Corridors reflect the high level and strength of our economic engagement.

"Japan is also at the forefront of engaging in our national initiatives, such as 'Make in India', ;Skill India', 'Digital India', 'Start Up India'."

He also said that Japanese investors had faith in India's economic future, "which is marked with myriad opportunities".

"We value Japan's global leadership in innovation, technologies and best practices.
 

"During this visit, I will have a chance to see some of Japan's high-tech capabilities in robotics."

This will be Modi's third visit to Japan since 2014 for the annual bilateral summit and his 12th meeting with Abe.

While India is the only country with which Japan holds annual bilateral summits, India has a similar mechanism with Russia too.