Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit India in early July, accompanied by 50 business leaders. Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki will be among the executives traveling with her.
During the visit, Takaichi will attend the annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Assam. The two sides are also expected to explore opportunities for industrial collaboration.
"India will host this year’s annual Indo-Japanese summit with a notable departure from tradition. Rather than meeting in New Delhi or Mumbai, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will travel to Assam early next month, accompanied by leaders of dozens of Japanese firms. The choice of the northeastern Indian state underscores both Tokyo’s interest in Assam’s largely untapped economic potential and Modi’s ambition to turn the state into an industrial and logistics gateway to Southeast Asia," wrote Dr. Brahma Chellaney in a post on X, citing a Nikkei report.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on Tuesday, the Japan-India Association, which promotes expanded exchange between Japan and India, will hold a meeting in Tokyo on the same day, with major corporate executives including Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki attending, Seoul Economic Daily reported.
The meeting was arranged to coincide with former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's inauguration as chairman of the Japan-India Association. The association's director-general, Akitaka Saiki, served as vice minister for foreign affairs during Kishida's tenure as foreign minister.
During his time in office in 2023, Kishida announced a plan to give concrete shape to the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" initiative. One of its core projects is the construction of an industrial corridor connecting the Bay of Bengal and northeastern India, the report further said.
The governments of Japan and India are now actively pursuing this initiative, and arrangements are underway for a summit between Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her visit to India, the report added.
Nikkei explained, "According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of 2024 there were a total of 59 Japanese corporate bases in Assam, with a high proportion in finance and insurance," adding, "More recently, large-scale investment has begun in earnest, centered on the semiconductor and energy sectors that the Indian government is fostering as strategic industries."
According to Nikkei Asia, the proposed visit will focus on strengthening economic ties, exploring new investment opportunities, and expanding industrial collaboration between Japan and India, particularly in the strategically significant Northeast region.
According to another report, this will be Takaichi’s first visit to India. She and Modi previously met in South Africa on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
In a Facebook live broadcast on the night of June 13, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that an "influential global leader" may accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a three day visit to the State from July 1 to 3.
