Delighted to host you: PM Modi welcomes Japan PM on three-day India visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, who arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties.

Welcoming Takaichi on her first visit to India as Japan's Prime Minister, Modi said he looked forward to holding wide-ranging discussions that would further deepen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

"A very warm welcome to India, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi... Through our joint efforts, we will continue to advance peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond," Modi posted on X.

Upon reaching India, Takaichi said that her talks with Modi would focus on pressing issues such as economic security and energy security while exploring ways to deepen strategic cooperation in the backdrop of the evolving global situation.

"I have arrived in Delhi, the capital of India. As Prime Minister of Japan, this will be my first visit to India in about three years, and personally, my very first time visiting the country," she said in a post.

Takaichi's visit, her first official trip to India since taking office, comes less than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Tokyo for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit.

BOTH PMs TO CHAIR ANNUAL SUMMIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, will co-chair the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, the highest-level bilateral dialogue between the two countries, held alternately in New Delhi and Tokyo.

The summit is expected to review progress in trade, technology, infrastructure, defence cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, while also covering key regional and global developments. The two leaders are likely to issue a joint statement outlining the next phase of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

The visit is also expected to build on the momentum generated during Modi's visit to Japan last year, when both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as security, economic resilience and innovation.

INDIA-JAPAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Economic partnership is expected to be a key focus of the discussions.

The two sides are likely to explore ways to boost investments, promote innovation and strengthen resilient supply chains in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, batteries and critical minerals.

India and Japan are also expected to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and clean energy. Several outcome documents, including memorandums of understanding in areas such as artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, battery technology and critical minerals, are likely to be signed.

GREEN ENERGY, BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP IN FOCUS

The leaders are also expected to discuss major investment proposals, including a large-scale green ammonia project in Odisha, enhanced collaboration in biogas and efforts to strengthen regional energy resilience through the POWERR Asia initiative.

During her visit, Takaichi will participate in the India-Japan Business Forum, where industry leaders from both countries are expected to explore new avenues for investment and collaboration.

Around 1,400 Japanese companies operate in India, with nearly half engaged in manufacturing. Japanese firms have also expanded their footprint in India's financial sector, including a recent $1.6 billion investment to acquire a 20 per cent stake in Yes Bank.

The summit is also expected to review progress under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, with both countries reaffirming their commitment to a stable, rules-based regional order and secure sea lanes.

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