India and Japan on Friday formalised a number of bilateral agreements in key areas including defence cooperation, nuclear energy and building of the first high-speed bullet train network at a cost of about Rs 98,000 crore.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday described the agreements as a new era of cooperation between the two countries. On the one side, both leaders welcomed Japan’s regular participation in the India-US Malabar Exercises, while also expressing concerns over challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
“No friend will matter more in realising India’s economic dreams than Japan”, said the Indian prime minister.
India will also extend visas on arrival to Japanese citizens from March 2016, in what it said was recognition of the two countries’ special relationship.
Letter of Intent on the Strategic International Cooperative Program between Department of Science and Technology of India and the Japan Science and Technology Agency: The Program seeks to promote and supports collaborative activities like Functional Applications of Physical Sciences in Information and Communication Technology (including Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analysis).
Terming as “historic’ the decision to introduce high speed trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector through the Japan’s Shinkansen, Modi said India greatly appreciates Abe’s extraordinary package of over $12 billion and technical assistance, on very easy terms, for the project”.
Without making a direct reference to concerns among some countries about China’s expansive claims in South China Sea, he said India stands strongly for ensuring freedom of navigation and over-flight, and unimpeded maritime commerce. “Japanese private investments are also rising sharply”. “It was ambitious. But together, we are quickly turning it into reality”.
Japan is apparently looking for additional nonproliferation guarantees before it exports nuclear reactors to New Delhi, which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
On the occasion of the 70th year since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they reaffirmed their shared commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
“For the first time Japan will import cars from India and Maruti will manufacture it”, he said while addressing the India-Japan Business Leaders Forum here.
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They are being assisted by the National Security Guard, Anti-Terrorist Squad, Central Para Military Forces and the state police.
