NEW DELHI, Oct 12 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi�s forthcoming tour of Japan for the Indo-Japanese annual summit assumes significance as the two countries have agreed on a deeper cooperation in building the infrastructure of the Northeast region.
Ahead of the Prime Minister�s tour, the second meeting of the �Japan-India Act East Forum� was held here this week. Besides improving connectivity in the NE region, the meeting also discussed utilising bamboo, which is abundant in the region, and people-to-people exchanges. Held under the co-chairmanship of Ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu and Foreign Secretary Vijay K Gokhale, connectivity and prioritisation of assistance to the Northeast region were on the table for discussion between the two countries.
Prime Minister Modi�s working visit to Japan on October 28-29 for the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit will be the fifth annual summit meeting between the two leaders and their twelfth meeting overall since 2014.
Modi�s visit will reaffirm the traditional bond of friendship between the two countries and strengthen the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields. It will also advance the vision of India and Japan working together to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
According to Hiramatsu, emphasis will be on the breadth of cooperation in the Northeast � ranging from connectivity to people-to-people exchanges.
A MoU inked in the presence of Modi and Abe in September 2017 at the end of the annual summit had led to the establishment of the India-Japan Act East Forum, which aims to identify specific projects for economic uplift of India�s Northeast region, including those pertaining to connectivity, development of infrastructure, industrial linkages, as well as people-to-people contacts through tourism, culture and sports-related activities.
