India, Japan are natural partners, says Modi at Quad summit

India and Japan are “natural partners” and Japanese investments have played an important role in India’s development journey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday (May 23), addressing the Indian community here on the first day of his two-day visit to Tokyo.

Modi underlined that the global community is witnessing an extraordinary scale and speed of infrastructure and capacity development in the country.

Modi also said that India’s relationship with Japan is one of strength, respect and common resolve for the world.

“India and Japan are natural partners. Japan has played an important role in India’s development journey, said Modi, who is visiting Tokyo at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. Modi and Kishida will be holding bilateral talks here on Tuesday.

Modi said that Japan is an important partner in building infrastructure and manufacturing capacity in India. He cited Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, dedicated freight corridors- as examples of India-Japan cooperation.

Also Read: What’s on PM’s agenda in Japan?

He said India’s relationship with Japan is that of Buddha, of knowledge, of meditation.

“Today’s world needs to follow the path shown by Gautam Buddha. This is the only way to save humanity from the challenges like violence, anarchy, terrorism and climate change,” Modi said in his over 35-minute-long speech.

Modi said that in the last two years, the way global chain supply was disrupted, the entire supply chain was questionable.

“To avert such a situation in future, we are moving ahead with the resolution of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Our resolution of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is not only for India, this is also a very big investment for stable and sustained global chain supply,” Modi said.

Noting that India has always found a solution no matter how big the problem is, Modi said that during the pandemic, there was an atmosphere of uncertainty, but even in that situation, India supplied ‘Made in India’ vaccines to crores of its citizens and also sent it to more than 100 countries.

“We are working towards strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in India,” Modi said, adding that wellness centres are being developed to take healthcare to all corners of the country.

He said India is moving forward to fight the global challenge of Climate Change. “We have committed to becoming ‘net zero’ by 2070,” he said.

“India is leading the climate change negotiations. From declaring the target of becoming Net-Zero till 2070 to initiating the International Solar Alliance, India is serious about working on a ‘green future’,” he added.

He said India has set the target of fulfilling 50% of its energy needs through non-fossil capacity by 2030.

“Today the world witnesses the extraordinary scale and speed of India’s infrastructure and capacity development,” the prime minister said.

He said that the digital revolution in India ensured that the banking system worked efficiently and effectively even during the COVID pandemic. India accounts for 40% of all digital transactions in the world, Modi said.

“As we complete 75 years of independence, India is working on the roadmap for the next 25 years,” he said.

“In the last 8 years, we have made our democracy strong and resilient. It is serving as one of the strongest pillars of progress,” Modi said.

India today has a people led government in the true sense. This has become a key reason for strengthening democracy in India, Modi said.

“We are working towards building a system that is not only inclusive but caters to a leakage-proof governance to fulfil the aspirations of every citizen,” he said.

“Today, India is optimistic about a tech-led, science-led, innovation-led and talent-led future,” he said.

“Swami Vivekananda once said every Indian should visit Japan once in their life. Today, I will say, every Japanese should visit India once in their life,” Modi said as he urged everyone to join and take forward the campaign of ‘Bharat Chalo, Bharat se Judho’.

Modi thanked the Indian community in Japan for their warm reception.

“Whenever I visit Japan, I witness your affection. Many of you have settled in Japan for years and assimilated Japanese culture. Still, the dedication toward Indian culture and language is ever-growing,” Modi told the Indian diaspora amid chats of slogans ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.

Also Read: India and 11 other countries join US-led new Indo-Pacific trade pact

(With Agency inputs)