PM Modi, Japan’s PM attend India-Japan Economic Forum in Tokyo

New Delhi, Aug 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba on Friday addressed the India-Japan Economic Forum in Tokyo, where leading industry figures and CEOs from both countries participated to explore new avenues of cooperation in trade, technology, and investment.

The event was jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Keidanren, Japan’s Business Federation. In his keynote remarks, Modi underlined the growing strength of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership and urged Japanese companies to expand their footprint in India. Pointing to India’s recent credit rating upgrade, he said the country’s “political stability, policy predictability and commitment to reforms” had boosted investor confidence. “See India’s growth story as an opportunity. Trusted friends must deepen economic partnerships in these turbulent global times,” he said. Modi also laid out five priority areas for collaboration under Make in India and allied initiatives: manufacturing (including semiconductors, robotics, batteries, ship-building and nuclear energy), cutting-edge technology and innovation (AI, quantum computing, biotech, space), green energy transition, next-generation infrastructure (high-speed rail, mobility and logistics), and skill development and people-to-people exchanges. “Like we did in automobiles, we can recreate the same magic in emerging industries,” he later wrote on X.

The report of the 12th India-Japan Business Leaders’ Forum (IJBLF) was also presented to both leaders. JETRO Chairman and CEO Norihiko Ishiguro announced several B2B MoUs across steel, artificial intelligence, space, clean energy, skills, and human resource exchanges.

During his Tokyo visit, Modi also met Japanese political leaders, including Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga, with discussions focused on expanding parliamentary and cultural exchanges, and former Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga, who is also Chairman of the Japan–India Association. Modi appreciated JIA’s role in strengthening business and cultural linkages between the two nations.

The Prime Minister, who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday evening at Ishiba’s invitation for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, said the two countries would “endeavour to give new wings to our partnership” by advancing cooperation in emerging technologies such as AI and semiconductors. From Japan, Modi will travel to Tianjin, China, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit hosted by President Xi Jinping. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders on the sidelines.