Setting up this facility will be part of at least a dozen agreements to be concluded between India and Japan on Saturday, coinciding with the three-day visit of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to India.
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Addressing a joint press meet with Abe, Modi said, “No friend will matter more in realising India’s economic dreams than Japan” while describing Abe as “a personal friend and a great champion of India-Japan partnership”.
“Today Japan is everywhere in India, be it the Metro rail, DFC or Maruti”, Modi said.
“In order to maintain an open, free and peaceful sea, it becomes important more and more for there to be collaboration between Japan and India, as well as the worldwide community including the U.S.”, he said in an article published in the Times of India. “Borrowing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words, I would say to all of you – come invest in Japan”.
Analysts said that Japan, which has always been seen as a pacifist nation and a firm supporter of nuclear nonproliferation, will have strong reservations about signing a civil nuclear agreement with India, because New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
During the assembly, Prime Minister Abe conveyed his heartfelt condolences for the victims of the current Chennai floods.
Abe, who is on a three-day day visit to India from today, along with Modi will attend the “Ganga Arti”, a beautifully choreographed ritual worship of the holy river performed daily at the fabled Dashashwamedh Ghat.
In his statement after summit meeting with Abe at Hyderabad House here, Modi announced “visa on arrival” to all Japanese citizens from March 1, 2016. The project cost of the 503-km-long Mumbai- Ahmedabad high-speed corridor is estimated to be about Rs 98,000 crore.
Abe is also expected to take a tour with Modi of India’s holiest city of Varanasi and the premier’s parliamentary constituency.
The Indian prime minister said Japan’s decisive role in India’s economic transformation will matter the most in realising its economic dreams.
The economic engagement witnessed significant rise after both countries signed a a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2011.
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What India needs is good infrastructure, especially railways, roads, aircraft and electricity, she said, adding that Japan could contribute greatly in all those fields. He will also hold delegation level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. Modi also said that for the first time Japan will import cars from India.
