(Image source from: ‘Make in India’ for Japan)

Japan has decided to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' mission to support India in becoming a base of economic growth for the Indo-Pacific region and the world, said Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.  While Delivering the 15th Sapru House Lecture at the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA), Kishida said it is important for Japan and India to strengthen the maritime cooperation and both sides should "even more proactively assume" their "responsibilities to protect open and stable seas".

Kishida proposed strengthening three bridges that link the region in order to ensure peace and prosperity -- bridge of value and spirit, of a vibrant economy and open and stable seas. He said the bilateral economic partnership has grown strong and should be improved to "facilitate an even greater contribution to the entire Indo-Pacific region". He said that the Japan-India Investment Promotion Partnership agreed at the summit meeting between Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September last year "seeks synergies between Abenomics and Modinomics" and Japan will contribute to push forward the 'Make in India' initiative. This will be greater success for Prime Minister Modi’s vision of India, which will create plenty of job opportunities.

He said Japan intends to support the construction of an energy network with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region for enhancing regional connectivity. To boost connectivity between SAARC and the 10-member Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan would boost aid by "supporting development initiatives" in India's northeast region.

By Premji