(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Bid to boost strategic global partnership to new levels googletag.
Narendra Modi fourth from right Japanese Ambassador to India Takeshi Yagi fourth from left and other participants raise their hands during the inauguration of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar when Modi was the CM of Gujarat. — AP file
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave here on Saturday for a four-day official visit to Japan his first bilateral trip outside the Indian sub-continent which is expected to elevate the strategic and global partnership between the two countries to new levels.
During the visit Modi will hold bilateral talks with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on all aspects of the relationship between the two countries.
Briefing journalists here on Thursday Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the visit is expected to help both sides broaden their bilateral ties afford India an opportunity to seek Japanese support for the development of its infrastructure and help India boost its exports of goods and services to that country.
It is a visit of “great expectations” for India he said. Modi will first travel to the heritage of Kyoto where there is a confluence of Indian and Japanese civilisational heritage through Buddhism.
“This provides a special symbolism to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyoto. You are also aware that the prime minister is keen on focussing on rejuvenating Indian cities as urban centres; and Kyoto is a magnificent example of how a city preserves its cultural heritage while also modernising itself. It therefore dovetails into prime minister’s own emphasis on rejuvenation of cities in India while preserving their cultural heritage as also his focus on what is widely known as ‘smart’ cities” Akbaruddin said.
“Kyoto in the Japanese lexicon is known as a smart city which is environmentally friendly which preserves its heritage and which is at the cutting-edge of the technology. All these three are important in Prime Minister’s vision of rejuvenating our cities and that’s basically why Kyoto” he explained. As a special gesture Abe will travel to Kyoto to receive Modi on his arrival. The two leaders will meet there and Abe will also host a dinner for him on August 30. On the next day the two prime ministers will attend a public event at the Toji temple.
Modi is also slated to meet the governor of Kyoto and the mayor of Kyoto. “It is expected that city’s efforts at preserving its cultural heritage and also ensuring an environment friendly approach will be highlighted in presentations made by the Mayor” Akbaruddin said. He said consultations were going on between Kyoto and Varanasi which is Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency on trying to draw from experiences which have been successful in Kyoto and replicate them in Varanasi. Modi will also visit the Kyoto University Centre which focuses on stem cell research.
That evening Modi will travel to Tokyo where he will be officially welcomed at a ceremony at the Akasaka Palace on September 1. Modi and Abe will have detailed bilateral talks both in the restricted format and at the delegation level on that day after which they will witness the signing of agreements between the two countries. They will also have a joint interaction with the media. Abe will host a banquet in honour of Modi.
Several Japanese Ministers are due to call on Modi ahead of his talks with Abe including the deputy prime minister and the finance minister the foreign minister the defence minister the minister for economy trade and industry as well as the minister for land infrastructure transport and tourism. Modi will address the business community at a luncheon hosted by the Keidanren the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Japan-India Business Cooperation Committee. He will use the opportunity to outline his views on the tremendous possibilities for cooperation between the two countries in the economic sector and invite Japanese investment in India’s infrastructure projects. The prime minister is also slated to visit an elementary school in Japan.
On September 2 Modi will call on Emperor Akihito who accompanied by Empress Michiko had paid a very successful visit to India in November-December last year.
On the same day Modi will visit a college and speak to students there. He will also address a seminar convened by Jetro and Nikkei. He will inaugurate the Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Tokyo and attend a reception of the Indian community in the evening.
The prime minister is also expected to meet political leaders across the political spectrum in Japan during his stay in Tokyo.
To a question Akbaruddin said that the two sides are continuing their discussions towards a civil nuclear agreement which had started in 2010. “More recently that engagement has speeded up. We’ve had several useful conversations between our negotiators and the Japanese interlocutors. These discussions have yielded substantive results. However all of you do understand that civil nuclear issues are of immense technical complexity and therefore our negotiators continue to focus on this and we are working towards satisfactory outcome for India and also for our friends in Japan” he added.
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