Hiroshima: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Saturday held talks focusing on boosting bilateral cooperation in areas of green hydrogen, high technology, semiconductors and digital public infrastructure. In the nearly 50-minute talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Modi and Kishida also deliberated on ways to synergise efforts to combat pressing global challenges under India's G20 presidency and Japan's leadership of the G7 advanced economies.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two prime ministers exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including development finance, food security, climate change and energy among others. "The leaders discussed ways to synergise efforts of their respective G-20 and G-7 presidencies. The prime minister stressed the need to highlight the concerns and priorities of the Global South," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The group of seven, comprising the US, France, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan, represent the world's richest democracies. Under its G7 presidency, Japan invited India and seven other countries to the summit. In a tweet, Modi described his meeting with Kishida as "excellent"
"We reviewed the full range of India-Japan relations and also discussed the focus areas of India's G-20 Presidency and Japan's G-7 Presidency towards making our planet better," the prime minister said. In a statement, the MEA said the two prime ministers also discussed deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, ways to combat terrorism and the reform of the United Nations.
"The two leaders exchanged views on contemporary regional developments. They also discussed deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific," it said. "The leaders agreed on ways to further strengthen the bilateral Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Discussions focused on areas of education, skill development, tourism, Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), green hydrogen, high technology, semiconductors and digital public infrastructure," it said.
It was the second meeting between Modi and Kishida this year following the visit of the Japanese prime minister to India in March this year. A Japanese readout said Modi and Kishida welcomed the increasingly active defence exchanges since the second Japan-India '2+2' defence and foreign ministerial dialogue held in September last year.
"The two leaders exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including development finance, food security, climate and energy, and confirmed their commitment to discuss and work together on various issues in the international community in the lead-up to both the G7 and G20 summits," it said.
The two leaders welcomed the steady progress made toward the 5-trillion-yen target of public and private investment and financing from Japan to India in the next five years, which was set in March last year. The readout said Modi and Kishida welcomed the signing of a 300-billion-yen loan for the project for the construction of high-speed rail and confirmed that they will continue cooperation in promoting the high-speed rail project.
"The two leaders also confirmed that they would continue cooperation on the development of the North-eastern region of India, through the Japan-India Act East Forum," it said. The MEA said Modi thanked Kishida for planting in Hiroshima the Bodhi sapling that had been gifted by Modi to him in March this year.
"The prime minister recalled that the Indian Parliament commemorated every year the Hiroshima Day, and noted that Japanese diplomats were always present on the occasion," it said. Modi arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to attend three sessions at the G7 summit following an invitation by Kishida. (PTI)
