New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India and Japan were "natural partners" and Japanese investments had played an important role in India's development journey. Addressing the Indian community in Tokyo, PM Modi said Japan was an important partner in India's infrastructure and capacity building.
"India and Japan are natural partners. Japan has played an important role in India's development journey. Our relationship with Japan is of intimacy, spirituality, cooperation and belonging," PTI quoted PM Modi as saying.
PM Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Japan, also cited several examples of India-Japan cooperation.
"Today, the world is realising the speed and scale on which India is increasing its infrastructure and capacity building. Japan is an important partner in building this capacity of ours," PM Modi said.
"Be it Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed Rail, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, or dedicated freight corridor, these are great examples of India-Japan cooperation," he further said.
PM Modi, who is visiting Tokyo at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, will attend the Quad summit on May 24. US President Joe Biden, Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will also attend the summit.
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Addressing the Indian community amid chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', PM Modi said, "Today's world needs to follow the path shown by Lord Buddha. This is the way to save humanity from the challenges facing the world today, be it violence, anarchy, terrorism and climate change."
"Whenever I visit Japan, I witness your affection. Many of you have settled in Japan for years and assimilated the Japanese culture. Still, the dedication toward Indian culture and language is ever-growing," PM Modi further said.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi chaired a roundtable with Japanese business leaders in which top executives and CEOs of 34 Japanese companies participated. The companies represented diverse sectors, including automobiles, electronics, semiconductors, steel, technology, trading and banking and finance, an official statement said.
(With inputs from agencies)