India-Japan relationship: Narendra Modi, Shinzo Abe to set new direction to partnership this week, says MEA

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe will set the future direction of the special strategic and global partnership between the two countries when they meet this week, the ministry of external affairs said on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_3102956” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe. PTI[/caption] Abe begins a two-day visit on Wednesday, during which he and Modi will hold the 12th India-Japan annual summit in Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The summit takes place amid rising tension in the region following the nuclear test by North Korea and growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. This will be the fourth annual summit between Modi and Abe. “The two leaders will review the recent progress in the multifaceted cooperation between India and Japan under the framework of their ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ and will set its future direction,” MEA said in a statement. India-Japan ties are on an upswing in a range of areas, including defence and security. In their annual defence dialogue last week, the two countries had resolved to collaborate closely in defence production, including on dual-use technologies. Prime Minister Modi had visited Japan in November last year. Both sides had decided to ramp up bilateral defence and security cooperation during the visit.