Vientiane: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Japan and New Zealand on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit in Laos. The newly-appointed Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had recently succeeded Fumio Kishida in a parliamentary vote on October 1.

Prime Minister Modi congratulated Ishiba on his new responsibility and wished him success in leading Japan to greater heights. He also underscored that India will continue to accord the highest priority to its ties with Japan, a trusted friend and strategic partner.

“The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership through enhanced cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade and investment, infrastructure development, defense and security, semiconductors, skilling, culture and people to people exchanges,” read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after the meeting.

“Both leaders emphasised that India and Japan are indispensable partners for a peaceful, safe, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region and renewed their commitment to working together to achieve this goal. The two leaders looked forward to the next India-Japan annual summit,” it added.

PM Ishiba, who has visited India earlier thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Modi and other relevant parties in both countries, Japan-India relations have progressed dramatically, and that he hopes to further develop Japan-India relations under the ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’.

“I would like to further advance cooperation in the areas of economy, security, and people-to-people exchanges, and to move forward with concrete cooperation in the lead-up to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan,” Ishiba was quoted as saying by his office.