On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba took the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Sendai, a city in northeastern Japan, to speak with prefecture governors about strengthening cooperation with Indian states.
The train journey held symbolic significance as it demonstrated both nations’ ongoing dedication to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project, which has experienced multiple delays and cost overruns and will employ Shinkansen trains. Modi shared pictures of the two prime ministers sitting side by side in the train, which could reach 320 kmph, on social media.
During their Friday summit, Modi and Ishiba agreed to establish a next-generation mobility partnership as part of a ten-year plan for bilateral relations that includes operational control systems, high-speed rail systems with “Make in India” next-generation rolling stock, and the railway industry’s energy transition.
The leaders committed to cooperate on starting the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail venture as soon as possible and introducing the newest Shinkansen technology, describing it as a flagship project of India and Japan. In the early 2030s, Japan has proposed to launch the E10 Shinkansen in India, which is presently undergoing trials.
When Modi arrived in Sendai, he spoke with the governors of sixteen prefectures on potential cooperation with Indian states. “There is immense scope to cooperate in areas like trade, innovation, entrepreneurship and more,” he said on social media, characterizing the collaboration as a crucial foundation of India-Japan friendship.
AI, tech, and startups are examples of futuristic industries that can be advantageous. He informed the governors that it was time to move beyond relationships centered on Tokyo and Delhi and to give state-prefecture engagement a fresh boost. In order to strengthen trade, technology, tourism, skills, security, and cultural ties between the two regions, he emphasized the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative, which was introduced at the annual summit on Friday.
In order to establish collaborations in the areas of manufacturing, technology, innovation, mobility, next-generation infrastructure, startups, and SMEs, Modi encouraged the Indian state governments and Japanese governors to take advantage of the new initiative.
In addition, he asked the governors to join India’s growth story and support the two nations’ efforts to youth and skills exchange while fusing Indian potential with Japanese technology.
The semiconductor powerhouse Tokyo Electron, which has a partnership with Tata Electronics of India to build semiconductor equipment infrastructure for its fabrication plant in Gujarat and its assembly and test facilities in Assam, was also visited by Modi and Ishiba. We visited the Production Innovation Lab and Training Room, where we spoke with senior business representatives.
In order to promote bilateral collaboration in protecting and fortifying supply chains for vital commodities and sectors, Modi and Ishiba announced a new Economic Security Initiative on Friday that includes semiconductors, telecoms, and important minerals. According to the External Affairs Ministry, the leaders’ tour of the Tokyo Electron plant provided them with a hands-on understanding of the prospects for the two nations to collaborate in the fabrication, testing, and supply chain of semiconductors.
The trip to Sendai also demonstrated how Japan’s strengths and India’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem complement each other. Building on an agreement for a semiconductor supply chain partnership and other partnerships under the industrial competitiveness partnership and economic security dialogue, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration in this area.
According to the ministry, the purpose of this joint tour was to “underline the shared vision of India and Japan to develop robust, resilient, and trusted semiconductor supply chains.” The governor of Miyagi Prefecture joined Modi for a lunch sponsored by Ishiba in Sendai. The PM then departed Sendai for Tianjin, China, where he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit on Monday and have a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping on Sunday.