Japan PM calls for enhancing ties with India further

Tokyo, Sep.7 (ANI): Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has called for further enhancement of established bilateral ties with India.

He said this while addressing the three-day-long India-Japan Global Partnership Summit in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Noda suggested fostering strategic investment between India and Japan and said that investment by 700 Japanese companies in India is a signal of healthy relations between the two countries.

The summit aims at fostering interaction and exchange of ideas among leaders of both nations in a very conducive environment to produce a micro road map for the macro vision that exists in the form of India-Japan Global Partnership.

Addressing the summit, Noda said that Tokyo is committed to deepen a cooperative relationship with New Delhi.

"We are determined to see Japan and India, the two largest democracies in Asia further deepen the cooperative relationship based on the strategic global partnership both countries had announced in 2006," said Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan.

Hoping to increase trade and investment between the both countries, he added that investment by 700 Japanese companies in India bears testimony to the fact that the later is a popular investment destination.

"More than 700 Japanese countries have already been doing business in India and even more companies look to India as a promising investment destination. I look forward to increase in trade and investment between our two countries," added Noda.

During the summit the two countries would hold parleys over setting up a joint infrastructure fund, which would be worth $9 billion with an aim to finance the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, to which the both the nations would contribute equally.

"Next year marks the 16th anniversary of the establishment of our bilateral diplomatic relations. I look forward to build upon the solid and friendly relations our predecessors have forged and further strengthening our bilateral ties in the coming years," noted Noda.

Apart from socio-cultural exchanges, this three-day summit between September 5 and 7 will provide a platform for face-to-face discussion among the top business leaders, policy makers, opinion leaders and academicians from both nations.

The summit is a joint venture of the federal governments of India and Japan, which aims towards betterment of the economic ties between the two nations apart from the political ties.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Haryana, led the Indian delegation, which includes some top industrialists of the country.

Historically, India and Japan have engaged in socio-cultural exchanges. Bestowed with common ideals such as democracy, human values, legal values, structured market economy and financial institutions, India and Japan share a global vision of peace, stability, energy efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable development.

To implement these ideals and values, 'India-Japan Global Partnership' was announced in the year 2000 by the then Prime Ministers of both the countries. By Ravi Khandelwal (ANI)