New Delhi [India], August 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from New Delhi on Thursday for a two-day official visit to Japan, scheduled from August 29 to 30, to attend the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit. This marks his first standalone visit to Japan in nearly seven years.

The visit comes at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. During his visit, PM Modi will hold the annual summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart. Following the Japan visit, the Prime Minister will travel to China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

Ahead of his departure, Prime Minister Modi issued a statement highlighting the importance of the trip. He stated that India and Japan will focus on 'next phase' of thier Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which has seen steady progress over the past 11 months.

'We would endeavour to give new wings to our collaboration, expand the scope and ambition of our economic and investment ties, and advance cooperation in new and emerging technologies, including AI and Semiconductors. The visit will also be an opportunity to strengthen our civilizational bonds and cultural ties that connect our peoples,' PM wrote.

The Indian diaspora in Japan is brimming with excitement as PM Modi is set to visit the country.

During the summit, both Prime Ministers will conduct an in-depth review of their ties, take stock of progress over the last few years across multiple domains, and, as usual, exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The summit will provide an opportunity to launch new initiatives aimed at building greater resilience in the India-Japan relationship and addressing emerging global challenges. The program includes a visit outside Tokyo, which will again be something to look forward to for the two leaders.

The visit also includes interactions between PM Modi and several other political leaders from Japan, as well as with the Friends of India in Japan. PM Modi will also participate in a business leaders' forum with captains of the Japanese and Indian industry. These interactions aim to deepen the important trade, investment, and technology relationship between the two countries.

This visit marks Modi's first standalone trip to Japan in nearly seven years and his first annual summit with Ishiba.

PM Modi last visited in 2018 for the Annual Summit. Since then, he has visited Japan, but these visits have been for multilateral engagements and other ceremonial events. This visit will be fully dedicated to the bilateral agenda between India and Japan. This is also PM Modi's eighth visit to Japan since he took office in 2014, and reflects the very high priority that this particular relationship has in our foreign relations.

Notably, the high-level engagements between India and Japan include several significant visits and meetings. In 2007, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered the 'Confluence of the Two Seas' speech in the Indian Parliament, marking a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship. Six years later, in 2013, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko became the first Japanese imperial couple to visit India, strengthening cultural and diplomatic ties between the two nations.

In 2014, Prime Minister Abe was honoured as the Chief Guest of the Republic Day in India, further solidifying bilateral relations. The relationship continued to grow, with President Ram Nath Kovind attending Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony in 2019, showcasing India's respect for Japan's imperial traditions.

In recent years, the engagement between the two countries has intensified. In March 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida visited India and pledged JPY 5 trillion (approximately USD 42 billion) in investment. During this visit, the Clean Energy Partnership was launched, and the Industrial Competitiveness Partnership was advanced. Additionally, an exchange of notes was signed for seven yen loan projects worth over JPY 300 billion (USD 2.7 billion), demonstrating Japan's commitment to supporting India's development.

Prime Minister Kishida returned to India in March 2023, where the fourth tranche of Official Development Assistance (ODA) worth JPY 300 billion (approximately INR 18,000 crore or USD 2.2 billion) was signed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project. New initiatives in tourism and the environment were also launched during this visit, further expanding cooperation between the two nations.

In May 2023, Prime Minister Modi attended the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, where he unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi near Peace Park, symbolising India's commitment to peace and non-violence. Later, in September 2023, Prime Minister Kishida visited India again for the G20 Summit, where both leaders coordinated G7-G20 priorities and highlighted the concerns of the Global South.

The relationship continued to strengthen with the meeting of PM Modi and Japanese PM Kishida at the G7 Summit in Italy in June 2024, marking 10 years of the Special Strategic Partnership between India and Japan.

In October 2024, PM Modi met with Prime Minister Ishiba in Vientiane during the ASEAN Summit, further reinforcing the bilateral ties. More recently, in September 2025, the two leaders met during the Quad Summit in Wilmington, Delaware.

The goodwill between the two leaders was also evident when PM Ishiba called PM Modi in April 2025 to express condolences following the Pahalgam terror attack, demonstrating the strong personal rapport between the leaders of the two nations.

Beyond summits, Foreign Ministers, Defence Ministers, and NSAs meet regularly, with the latest 2+2 Ministerial (New Delhi, 2024) and Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue (2024).

Furthermore, both countries have a robust trade and investment relationship, with bilateral trade between the two countries reaching USD 22.8 billion in 2023-24. India's imports from Japan outweigh its exports, with the main items exported to Japan including chemicals, vehicles, aluminium, and seafood. In contrast, imports from Japan primarily consist of machinery, steel, copper, and reactors.

In the first nine months of the 2024-25 fiscal year, bilateral trade totalled USD 21 billion, indicating stability in trade relations. Japan is India's fifth-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI), with a cumulative investment of USD 43.2 billion up to December 2024. Annual FDI inflows from Japan have been strong, with USD 3.1 billion in 2023-24 and USD 1.36 billion in 2024-25 (April-December).

Japanese companies have consistently ranked India as a promising long-term investment destination. There are approximately 1,400 Japanese companies with nearly 5,000 establishments operating in India, while over 100 Indian companies work in Japan. Profitability rates and expansion plans for Japanese companies in India remain high.

The two countries are also exploring emerging areas of cooperation, including digital cooperation in semiconductors and startups, clean energy, supply chain resilience, industrial competitiveness, and skill development.

Overall, the visit will consolidate our long-standing friendship. It will open fresh avenues of cooperation and reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, prosperity, and stability, both for the two countries and in our shared Indo-Pacific region and beyond, according to the MEA. (ANI)