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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during his two-day visit to Japan starting October 28. The issues include on-going and future infrastructure project funding such as the high-speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, partnership in promoting start-ups, cooperation in digital technology, development of Indo-Pacific region and defence tie-ups, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said here on Thursday.
India also hopes to have some kind of synergy or integration between Modi’s Ayushman Bharat scheme, which has been projected as the largest medicare programme of its kind globally, and the Japanese programme which is called Asia Health and Wellbeing Initiative.
“How we dovetail this and how we leverage Japan’s strength in certain areas including medical equipment, hospitals and others is something that the two leaders can explore,” Gokhale said addressing a press conference.
The Indian PM is visiting Japan to attend the 13th bilateral annual summit which is the fifth one to be attended by him, Gokhale added.
The second tranche of ODA loan for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed train project is expected to be finalised during the discussions. Gokhale said the two sides are optimistic of implementing the project by 2022, which would be the 75th anniversary of India’s freedom. “We hope to meet the timeline as the land acquisition problems are expected to be sorted out by December this year,” the Foreign Secretary said.
Abe will welcome Modi at the Yamanashi prefecture on October 28 and will later take him to his holiday home for a private dinner. The two leaders will return together by train to Tokyo, the Foreign Secretary said.
On October 29, Modi will have a series of meetings with senior Japanese Ministers, including the Ministers for Trade & Industry and Foreign Affairs, and will also meet a number of industry representatives. He will also launch a grand challenge for start-ups, where start-ups would compete to attract funds from venture capitalists.
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