Later in 2012, when PM Narendra Modi, the then CM of Gujarat, met Shinzo Abe during his second Japan visit of four days.
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Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad; will be receiving Japanese PM Shinzo Abe shortly.
In the strategic sphere, India and Japan agreed to boost defence cooperation in 2014 which resulted in the signing of the defence framework agreement in 2015.
“The commencement of work on the country’s first High-Speed Rail (Bullet train) project will begin on September 14 in Ahmedabad”, Goyal told media persons, adding that the bullet train technology would “revolutionise and transform the transport sector”.
Using Japanese Shinkansen technology, trains on the line will run at speeds of around 320km/h and cut the current train journey time from seven to eight hours down to potenially two hours between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. It’s not clear that this will be $17 billion well spent: high-speed rail projects tend to turn into boondoggles, and that money might be better used repairing India’s creaky network of existing railroads.
The two leaders, who are also close friends, would take part in a eight-km-long road show that would start from the Ahmedabad airport and culminate at the Sabarmati Ashram.
Mr. Abe will visit the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi at Dandi Kutir.
But it remains unclear whether Abe and Modi can reach an agreement due to a lingering cautious view within the Indian government about sending foreign and defense ministers overseas at the same time, one of the sources said.
■ Abe’s visit is seen as part of his efforts to consolidate the bilateral relationship between Japan and India, which was given a new thrust and heft under his leadership in 2012.
This is the fourth meeting between the Prime Ministers of both nations.
Observers of Indo-Japan relations are not amused with the data and claim that the data of bilateral trade is just a segment of economic relations between the countries. They also chose to build upon their cooperation in the smart city project of India.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has also welcomed PM Abe tweeting, “Welcome to Gujarat”.
Speaking at the India-Japan Colloquium session, Jaishankar stressed as to how cooperation and civil nuclear defence will be two key components of the future for both India and Japan. “The difference that Japan can make to our nuclear industry can be quite substantive”.
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After the foundation stone laying ceremony, the two Prime Ministers would hold the 12th India-Japan Annual Summit, at Mahatma Mandir here.
