They reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide in Washington DC on Thursday on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit and reviewed the multi-faceted relationship between the two countries and exchanged views on recent global and regional developments, including in Afghanistan.

They agreed to enhance bilateral security and defence cooperation, including in the area of defence equipment and technologies, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The two Prime Ministers welcomed the increasing economic engagement between the two countries, it added.

According to the statement, they welcomed the launch of the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) between India, Japan and Australia earlier this year as a collaborative mechanism to enable resilient, diversified and trustworthy supply chains.

Prime Minister Modi highlighted the need to develop bilateral partnerships in manufacturing, MSME and skill development, the MEA said.

Prime Minister Suga informed Prime Minister Modi that in order to operationalize the Specified Skilled workers (SSW) agreement which was signed earlier this year, the Japanese side would be undertaking skill and language tests in India from early 2022, the MEA added.

They highlighted the increasing importance of digital technologies and in this regard positively evaluated the progress in the India-Japan Digital Partnership, especially in start-ups, the statement mentioned.

They exchanged views on further collaboration in various emerging technologies.

Discussions also took place on climate change issues and green energy transition, and the potential for Japanese collaboration with India’s National Hydrogen Energy Mission, the MEA stated.

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advance efforts to facilitate the smooth and timely implementation of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, the statement further mentioned.

The two leaders welcomed the progress in bilateral developmental projects in India’s North Eastern Region under the India-Japan Act East Forum, and noted possibilities for further enhancement of such cooperation, it noted.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga expressed confidence that the strong momentum attained by the India-Japan partnership in the last few years will continue even under the new administration in Japan, the statement said.

The two Prime Ministers also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to address it, it added.

Earlier the two Prime Ministers expressed happiness at their first in-person meeting, said a Ministry of External Affairs statement.

They warmly recalled their three telephone conversations since September 2020, when Suga took office as the Prime Minister of Japan, it added.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Suga for his personal commitment and leadership, both as a Japanese Prime Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary earlier, in enabling great advances in the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership over the last few years, the statement noted.

He congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Suga for successfully hosting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games in the midst of a global pandemic.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga expressed confidence that the strong momentum attained by the India-Japan partnership in the last few years will continue even under the new administration in Japan, the statement said.

Prime Minister Modi conveyed that he was looking forward to welcoming the next Prime Minister of Japan to India for the India-Japan Annual Summit in the near future.