PM Modi calls Japan PM his younger sister, she responds with a smile

Diplomatic summits are usually defined by agreements, strategic partnerships and carefully worded statements. But at the India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, it was a warm exchange between the two leaders that stole the spotlight.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, he introduced her not just as the leader of one of India's closest strategic partners, but as his "younger sister", a remark that drew smiles and set the tone for an otherwise high-stakes summit.

“I welcome Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi, my younger sister, to India for her first visit for the India-Japan Annual Summit. She is the first woman Prime Minister of Japan and a visionary and popular leader," PM Modi said.

Takaichi embraced the sentiment with equal warmth. Thanking PM Modi for calling her his "beautiful younger sister", she said the bond reflected the understanding the two leaders had reached during their private discussions.

"Before the larger meeting, we confirmed that we are on the same page and would nurture this relationship as brother and sister," she said, adding that Japan and India should build on their respective strengths to become stronger and more prosperous together.

Welcoming Takaichi on her maiden visit to India as Japan's prime minister, Modi described it as the beginning of a "new chapter" in bilateral ties. He hailed her as Japan's first woman prime minister and said the two countries shared a common vision for a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

"Our shared priorities are a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific. Our technology partnership has become an important pillar of our relationship," PM Modi said, underlining the growing importance of collaboration in emerging technologies.

Beyond the personal camaraderie, the summit produced substantial outcomes. India and Japan signed their first-ever defence co-development agreement and unveiled a series of initiatives to deepen their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

The two leaders also held delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior officials from both countries.

The summit culminated in the announcement of a landmark defence co-development pact, the first between India and Japan, along with initiatives to strengthen cooperation in economic security, strategic technologies, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals and clean energy.

Earlier in the day, Takaichi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan. She is on a three-day official visit to India from July 1 to 3 on PM Modi's invitation.

- Ends