New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Tuesday, released details of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visits to Japan and China. The PM is leaving for Japan on Thursday (August 28) evening, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said.
Modi will be in Japan on August 29-30 for the 15th India-Japan annual summit. This will be his first meeting with Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, since the latter took over in October 2024. This will be the Indian PM’s eighth visit to Japan.
The Prime Minister will travel from Japan to Tianjin in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. Russian president Vladimir Putin is also expected to attend the Summit.
“During the visit to Japan, the two leaders will review the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, covering defence and security, trade and economy, technology and innovation, and people-to-people exchanges. They will also discuss issues of regional and global importance. The visit is expected to reaffirm the longstanding bond of friendship between the two countries,” the MEA said.
The media in Japan has said that the country wants to double private sector investment in India to 10 trillion Yen ($68 Billion) over the next 10 years. This is likely to be announced after the two leaders meet. There has been a steady flow of Japanese investment in India over the last several years.
On Tuesday, Modi had laid stress on India’s relations in Japan while launching Maruti Suzuki’s battery electric vehicle in Gujarat.
“The relationship between India and Japan goes far beyond diplomatic ties; it is a bond of culture and trust. The journey we began with Maruti Suzuki has now reached the speed of a bullet train,” he said.
The PM also said that cars manufactured in India by Suzuki are now being exported to Japan, calling it a symbol of global confidence in India.
Modi’s visit to China will also be keenly followed by experts In the wake of the US’s ‘tariff war’ against those who buy crude from Russia. China and India are the largest purchasers of Russian oil.
US president Donald Trump has warned China of 200% tariffs if it doesn’t meet his country’s demand for rare earth minerals
During his visit to China, PM Modi is expected to meet Chinese premier Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. The issue of tariffs may come up for discussion during this meeting.
India has been a member of the SCO since 2017 and held the presidency of the Council of Heads of State of the organisation during 2022-23, the MEA noted.
