PM Modi’s Japan visit to focus on security and tech
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go on a two-day visit to Japan from August 29–30, 2025, marking his eighth trip to the country.
During the visit, he will meet his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba, for the 15th India-Japan annual summit on Friday.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the summit will allow both leaders to “do an in-depth review of the bilateral ties, take stock of progress in the last few years across multiple domains, and, of course, as is usual, exchange views on regional and global issues of importance.” He added that the meeting would also launch new initiatives to enhance resilience in the partnership and respond to emerging challenges.
The two prime ministers are expected to review the Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which covers defence and security, trade, technology, innovation, and cultural exchanges. They will also discuss key regional and global developments.
As part of the visit, Modi and Ishiba will travel together on a Japanese bullet train to Sendai, a city renowned for its semiconductor industry. The leaders are set to explore Japan’s involvement in future high-speed rail projects in India, expanding beyond the ongoing Mumbai–Ahmedabad route.
Following Japan’s earlier commitment to provide E5 series bullet trains for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor, Tokyo has proposed the introduction of the new E10 series simultaneously in both nations. The E10 has a top speed of 320 km/h, like the E5, but is designed with earthquake-resistant safety features to prevent derailments and includes future-ready provisions for driverless operations.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will finance Rs 88,000 crore of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail project — about 81% of the total Rs 1,08,000 crore cost — with the remainder funded by India’s Ministry of Railways and the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments.
In addition, India and Japan plan to update their 2008 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation and launch a new economic security initiative focusing on semiconductors, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and clean energy.
Highlighting the significance of the visit, Misri said India and Japan are “Asia’s two leading democracies and amongst the world’s top five economies,” adding that the annual summit represents the “highest-level dialogue mechanism” between the two countries.