NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi made an emotional pitch of Bharat Chalo, Bharat Se Judo to the Indian diaspora in Tokyo where he also discussed ways to expand business ties with the cream of top corporate houses.
‘‘Before Vivekananda was going to Chicago for his historic address, he had come to Japan. It left a deep impression on his mind in Japan. He had openly praised the patriotism of the people of Japan, the confidence of the people and awareness of the people of Japan for cleanliness,’’ Modi told a gathering of 700 people from the Indian diaspora on Monday.
The PM highlighted India’s socio-economic developments and reform initiatives particularly in infrastructure, governance, green growth and digital revolution in recent years. “India and Japan are natural partners. Japan has played an important role in India’s development journey,’ Modi said. “Today’s world needs to follow the path shown by Lord Buddha. This is the way to save humanity from the challenges facing the world today, be it violence, anarchy, terrorism and climate change.”
In his roundtable with top executives and CEOs of 34 Japanese companies, Modi walked the extra mile by proposing to celebrate Tokyo’s contribution to India’s development journey in the form of a ‘Japan Week’.
India has attracted a record FDI of USD 84 billion in the previous financial year despite the slowdown in global FDI, he told the top executives.
The PM also highlighted recent developments in economic ties, such as India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership (IJICP) and Clean Energy Partnership, among others. Top executives of MNCs like Honda Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corporation, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Fujitsu, Nippon Steel Corporation, and Mitsubishi Corporation attended the meeting.
In his meeting with NEC Corporation chairman Nobuhira Endo, Modi appreciated NEC’s role in India’s telecommunication sector especially in undertaking Chennai-Andaman &Nicobar Islands and Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands projects. Similarly, he hailed SoftBank Corporation’s role in the startup sector.