PM Modi Meets with his Japanese Counterpart- Fumio Kishida

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, on Saturday for "productive" talks on a variety of issues, including ways to strengthen bilateral economic and cultural ties.

Kishida arrived here around 3:40 p.m., accompanied by a high-level delegation, on his first visit to India as the head of the Japanese government.

The Indian PMO stated in a tweet that both leaders discussed ways to strengthen economic and cultural ties between the two countries.

The agenda of the summit talks between Modi and Kishida, according to External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, included multifaceted bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The Japanese Prime Minister is scheduled to leave India at 8 a.m. on Sunday, according to a media advisory issued by the External Affairs Ministry. Kishida is on his way to Cambodia after wrapping up his trip to India.

Discussing Russia's Ukraine Invasion

Kishida stated before departing for India that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is unacceptable and that such actions should never be tolerated in the Indo-Pacific region.

Kishida stated that he will meet with leaders of India and Cambodia to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Modi called Prime Minister Kishida shortly after taking office in October 2021. Both parties expressed a desire to deepen their special strategic and global partnership.

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the two countries' establishment of diplomatic relations.

The annual summit between Prime Minister Modi and his then-Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Guwahati was cancelled in December 2019 due to massive protests in the Assam capital over the amended citizenship law. Because of the pandemic, the summit could not be held in 2020 or 2021.