Japan valuable partner in India's journey to prosperity: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described Japan as a valuable partner in India's journey to prosperity and capacity building after the two countries signed the landmark civil nuclear agreement.

"Japan has always been a valuable partner in India's journey to economic prosperity, infrastructure development, capacity building and technology advancement," Modi said at a banquet hosted in his honour by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe following the annual bilateral summit between the two countries.

"The scope and scale of our cooperation extends to diverse fields," he said.

The civil nuclear agreement, along with nine other agreements, were signed following Friday's delegation-level talks headed by Modi and Abe.

Modi said that the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership was marked by a growing convergence of economic and strategic issues.

"There is also a lot that we can do together as close partners, not just for the benefit of our societies, but also for the region and the whole world," he said.

The Prime Minister said that "together with the global community we can, and we must, combat the rising threats of radicalisation, extremism and terrorism".

Stating that economic links between the two countries continued to flourish, he said: "Trade ties continue to grow. And, investments from Japan are on the rise. Japanese companies have much to gain by participating in our flagship development initiatives. We, in turn, have much to gain from Japan's unparalleled status as the leader in technology and innovation."

Modi also described the increase in contacts and cooperation between states in India and the prefectures of Japan as "a welcome feature of our ties".

"It is a reflection of the high priority that we accord to Japan in our worldview," he said.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the state government of Gujarat and Hyogo prefectural government of Japan was among the agreements signed following Friday's summit.

Stating that the destinies of India and Japan were interlinked, Modi said: "The ocean waters of the Indo-Pacific that lap the coast of Japan also form the surf that breaks on the shores of India. Let us work together for peace, prosperity and development."

Friday's was the eighth meeting between Modi and Abe in the last two years.

It was his second visit to Japan after he became Prime Minister.

--IANS

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