Tokyo, Aug 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met governors of 16 Japanese prefectures in Tokyo and called for strengthening state-prefecture cooperation under the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
In a post on X, the ministry said, “Taking greater strides in the steadfast India-Japan ties. PM Narendra Modi met with the Governors of 16 prefectures in Tokyo.”
“PM highlighted the potential of states-prefectures collaboration and in this regard urged action under the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative launched during 15th India-Japan Annual Summit for shared progress,” it said.
The post further said that discussions focused on ways to further deepen the growing partnerships between Indian states and Japanese prefectures in the fields of technology, innovation, investment, skills, start-ups and SMEs.
According to the MEA statement, Modi, in his address underlined that India-Japan ties, drawing vitality from age-old civilisational linkages, continue to flourish.
He said the time had come to give a renewed push to state-prefecture engagement beyond the traditional focus on Tokyo and Delhi.
He highlighted that the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative would boost cooperation in trade, technology, tourism, skills, security and cultural exchanges.
The Prime Minister urged Japanese governors and Indian state governments to forge stronger collaborations in manufacturing, mobility, next-generation infrastructure, innovation, start-ups and small businesses.
Noting that each Japanese prefecture has its own economic and technological strengths and Indian states their unique capabilities, the Prime Minister invited the governors to contribute to India’s growth story.
He also called for joint efforts in youth and skills exchange and optimally combining Japanese technology with Indian talent, the MEA said.
The governors observed that sub-national collaboration was key to taking bilateral business, educational, cultural and people-to-people ties to the next level, it added.(PTI)
