India-Japan Leaders Meet... Discuss Energy and Food Cooperation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit on the 20th and agreed to expand cooperation in areas such as energy and food.

According to the foreign ministries of both countries, the two leaders met in New Delhi, the capital of India, to discuss bilateral issues. Indian media outlets, including Republic TV, reported that the two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in various fields such as energy, food security, defense, and technology.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Modi said, "We discussed focusing on the events each country is hosting this year, including the G7 summit and the G20 summit."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are having a brief conversation before their meeting on the 20th (local time) at Hyderabad House, the guesthouse located in New Delhi, India. Prime Minister Kishida, who arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit, is expected to discuss with Prime Minister Modi ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and technology sectors, as well as shared concerns about China.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Japan will hold the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, and India will host the G20 summit in New Delhi in September. Regarding this, Prime Minister Kishida conveyed his intention to invite Prime Minister Modi to the upcoming G7 summit, and Modi expressed his willingness to attend. Indian media reported that Modi thanked Kishida for the invitation to the G7 summit.

India and Japan are also members of the four-nation security consultative group "Quad," along with the United States and Australia. The two countries have been strengthening cooperation in the security sector, including conducting their first joint fighter jet training in January.

According to Kyodo News, the two prime ministers also confirmed their policy to cooperate in maintaining an international order based on laws such as the UN Charter, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's hegemonic actions.

Regarding the summit, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Japanese government will provide up to 300 billion yen (approximately 3 trillion won) in loans to support the maintenance of India's high-speed rail connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad.