Modi to visit Japan for bilateral summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on an official visit to Japan on October 28 and 29 to hold an annual bilateral summit with his counterpart Shinzo Abe, it was announced here on Friday.

According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, under the framework of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, the two leaders would have wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Japan is one of the only two countries with which India holds annual bilateral summits, the other being Russia.

The India-Japan relationship was elevated to that of a Special Strategic and Global Partnership during Modi's visit to Japan in 2014 for the annual bilateral summit.

"Prime Minister Modi's visit will reaffirm the traditional bonds of friendship between the two countries and strengthen their multifaceted cooperation in diverse fields," the ministry statement said. 

"It will also advance the vision of India and Japan working together to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," it added.

India and Japan, along with the US and Australia, are part of a quad that was revived in 2017 that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

This would be the fifth annual bilateral summit between Modi and Abe and their 12th meeting overall since 2014.

The last India-Japan annual bilateral summit was held in Ahmedabad in September 2017.- IANS