From cars to bullet train, India-Japan ties have come a long way, says Narendra Modi in Kobe while addressing Indian diaspora

Kobe: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday the ties between India and Japan have become stronger from the time the two countries cooperated to make a car to coming together to manufacture bullet trains. Addressing the Indian community in this Japanese city, Modi said Japan has played an important role in India’s economic development. “When it comes to India’s relations with the world, Japan holds an important position. These relations are not of today but date back to centuries. It has harmony and respect for each other’s culture at its foundation,” Modi said. He said the bilateral ties are going to become more robust as India aims to become a $5 trillion economy in the next five years. “There was a time when we were collaborating in building cars and today we are collaborating in building a bullet train,” said Modi, who is in Japan to attend the G20 Summit to be held in Osaka from Friday. [caption id=“attachment_6893381” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Indian community in Japan’s Kobe ahead of G20 Summit. Twitter/@MEAIndia[/caption] “Today, there is no such part of India where Japan’s projects or investments have not left its mark. Similarly, talent and manpower of India are contributing to strengthen Japan,” he told the enthusiastic Indian diaspora, which gave a rousing welcome to the prime minister at the Hyogo Prefecture Guest House. India is planning to run its first bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad with Japan’s help. The first stretch of the ambitious project is expected to be completed by 2022. The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHRSCL) is in the process of acquiring land for the 508-kilometre project. Modi said Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Justice Radhabinod Pal and many Indians strengthened India’s relationship with Japan and that is why after World War-II, India and Japan’s relationship reached newer heights. “After I became the prime minister in 2014, I got an opportunity to strengthen India-Japan friendship, together with my friend Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. We took our diplomatic relations beyond the purview of capitals and ambassadors, and took them directly among public,” he said. The prime minister also heaped praise on his “dear friend” Abe. “Besides Delhi and Ahmedabad, I had the opportunity to take Abe to Varanasi. He visited my parliamentary constituency and participated in the Ganga aarti there. Whenever he got the opportunity, he spoke of this divine experience,” he said. Modi said his government’s main areas of focus were social security and infrastructure development. “We’ll launch Chandrayaan-2 in few months and by 2022 we’re planning to launch India’s maiden human spaceflight program-Gaganyaan,” he said.