New Delhi, 02 July (H.S.): Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday as she began the main engagements of her three-day official visit to India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi received his Japanese counterpart for the ceremonial welcome before the two leaders proceeded for bilateral discussions aimed at further strengthening the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

The ceremonial reception marked Takaichi's first official visit to India since assuming office as Japan's Prime Minister. The visit comes at a time when India and Tokyo are seeking to expand cooperation in strategic, economic, technological and security sectors amid evolving geopolitical developments in the Indo-Pacific region.

Following her arrival in New Delhi, the Japanese government expressed appreciation for the warm reception. In a message posted on X, Japan's Cabinet Public Relations Office said it was delighted to visit India and thanked the Indian government for its hospitality.

Prime Minister Modi also welcomed Takaichi, saying he was pleased to host her on her first visit to India. He noted that the two sides would hold wide-ranging discussions covering bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global issues, with the objective of further strengthening the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries.

On Wednesday evening, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh received Prime Minister Takaichi at Palam Technical Airport on behalf of the Government of India. He described the visit as particularly significant in view of the steadily expanding strategic partnership between India and Japan.

According to Japanese media reports, the summit is expected to witness a major boost in economic cooperation. Japanese private companies are reportedly preparing to announce investments worth approximately US$12.5 billion in India through around 120 cooperation agreements spanning sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, technology, energy and advanced industries.

Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki, who accompanied Prime Minister Takaichi to New Delhi, said more than 150 companies are participating in the Japan-India Economic Forum being held alongside the summit. He said the forum is expected to deepen cooperation between the two countries in areas including economic security, trade, investment and strategic collaboration.

The annual summit is also expected to review progress in ongoing bilateral initiatives, including infrastructure development, clean energy, resilient supply chains, semiconductor cooperation, defence collaboration and connectivity projects. The leaders are also likely to exchange views on regional security, the Indo-Pacific, and other international issues of mutual interest.

India and Japan have steadily expanded their partnership over the past decade, with both countries describing their relationship as a cornerstone for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. The summit is expected to provide fresh momentum to bilateral ties by advancing cooperation across government, industry and strategic sectors.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar