Japan one of India's closest partners, important for Northeast: Minister

Japan is one of India's closest partners and the country has a special significance for the Northeast, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.

During a delegation-level meeting with Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshi Kajiyama, Singh highlighted the investment made by Japan in the northeastern region, especially in the infrastructure sector.

Both India and Japan have developed special bonding under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be visiting India later this week, he told the delegation.

According to an official statement, the Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) said Japan has a special emotional significance for the Northeast.

The region has a lot of potential for growth and industrialisation, he said.

Singh mentioned about the technological contribution made by Japan in the bullet train project in India.

The minister said Japan is one of the closest partners and India attaches high priority to its relationship with the country. India and Japan are going to collaborate in a healthy and productive manner, he said.

During the meeting, various issues related to cooperation in the areas of nuclear energy, infrastructure and technology were discussed.

Singh said from the very beginning, India's nuclear power programme is devoted to peaceful purposes, especially in the fields of energy, agriculture and medicine.

The Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings held in March and September 2018 on the issue of civil nuclear liability were also mentioned in the meeting. The next meeting of the JWG is proposed to be held in January 2020.

Japanese minister Kajiyama said both the countries need to share each other's experiences.

The issue of human resources and related issues were also discussed in the meeting where both sides emphasised on mutual cooperation for further development, the statement said.