Sushma Swaraj’s Japan Visit Aims To Strengthen Bilateral Ties

File Picture Courtesy : India Today

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Japan for a three-day visit during which she will co-chair the strategic dialogue with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono and review the entire gamut of bilateral ties.

The 9th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue will take place on Thursday.

Upon her arrival at Tokyo, she was received by Indian Ambassador in Japan Sujan Chinoy and Ambassador Hideaki Hoshi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

During the visit, “the two sides will review all aspects of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of common interest,” Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement in New Delhi on Tuesday.

India and Japan concluded a Special Strategic and Global Partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan in 2014. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe had also visited India in September 2017.

Bilateral relations have been strengthened in diverse sectors in recent years. India and Japan have a strong cooperation in the areas of nuclear energy, defence and science and technology.

The Mumbai to Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project will be based on the Shinkansen super speed trains in Japan.

Japan is today one of the largest investors in India, with a growing presence in infrastructure projects, manufacturing, financial markets and capacity-building, among others.

According to official figures, Japanese FDI in India during 2016-17 was $4.7 billion, an increase of 80 percent over the last year.

In 2016-17, India-Japan trade reached $13.61 billion, showing a decrease of 6.21 percent over 2015-16, when the total bilateral trade was $14.51 billion.

India’s export to Japan for 2016-17 was $3.86 billion, whereas India’s import from the East Asian country for 2016-17 was $9.76 billion.

Swaraj later addressed Indian diaspora at the Vivekananda Cultural Centre. In her address, she lauded the contribution of the diaspora in strengthening the relationship of India with Japan and create a positive image about New Delhi in Japan. She also said that another reason for a good relationship between the two countries Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe’s friendship.