Narendra Modi urges Japanese businessmen to engage more with India, invites them to 'boost investment speed'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Tokyo on Saturday, addressed top Japanese businessmen asking them to engage more with India. Modi, who is in Japan to attend the 13th India-Japan annual summit, said that the inputs offered at the Business Leaders Forum will propel India to achieve global benchmarking. “He urged Japanese businessmen to engage more with India,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Modi asserted that inputs offered at the Forum would help India to achieve global benchmarking while also requesting the Japanese businessmen to engage more with India. Official Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar tweeted, “Growing confidence in India. PM @narendramodi interacted with top business leaders from India and Japan at Business Leaders Forum. PM said that inputs offered at the Forum will propel India to achieve global benchmarking and urged Japanese businessmen to engage more with India.” Before the commencement of the Forum, Modi was called upon by Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Hiroshige Seko. The two leaders met and discussed ways to enhance the Indo-Japanese economic engagement. The METI plays a significant role in strengthening the India-Japan economic partnership. Addressing business leaders at the business symposium on “Make in India, Digital Partnership and India-Japan Partnership in Africa”, Modi said the reforms undertaken by the Indian government “are showing results”. [caption id=“attachment_5463991” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Narendra Modi addressing business leaders in Tokyo. Twitter/@MEAIndia[/caption] “When I took over the responsibility of the government in 2014, India was at 140th position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings. Now, India has reached 100th position, and we are working towards a better ranking,” he said. The prime minister also pointed out that the Government of India has started to rank its 36 states and Union Territories “to further promote Ease of Doing Business” in the country. Modi began his two-day trip to Japan — his 12th visit to the State since 2014 — on Saturday, when he arrived in Tokyo to attend the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit. He held meetings with Japanese prime minster Shinzo Abe, as well as with venture capitalists and ministers of the country. The prime minister also addressed the Indian diaspora earlier on Monday. At the business leaders’ event, Modi invited enterprises to “boost the speed of investment in India”. “I have always spoken of a strong India and a strong Japan. I express my gratitude to the special conviction of Japan’s enterprising class on this occasion,” he said. “Some years ago, I spoke about making a mini-Japan in India. It’s a matter of great happiness for me that today, you are working in an even larger number in India.” Later on Monday, Modi is scheduled to hold delegation-level talks at the office of his Japanese counterpart. The two prime ministers are slated to hold wide-ranging talks in strengthening collaboration in key areas between India and Japan, such as defence, security, Indo-Pacific cooperation and technology, as well as review the progress of India-Japan ties. Modi also met with Foreign Minister of Japan Taro Kono and the two leaders held a discussion on bilateral, regional and global issues. Terming the discussion as “productive”, Kumar tweeted, “Strengthening the strategic orientation of our relationship. Foreign Minister of Japan Taro Kono called on PM @narendramodi. Held productive and focused the discussion on bilateral, regional and global issues.” Secretary-General of Liberal Democratic Party Toshihiro Nikai also called on the Prime Minister before the Forum. Modi appreciated Nikai’s vision and experience in the strengthening of the India-Japan bilateral relationship over the years. Prime Minister Modi will also address the ‘Make in India: India-Japan Partnership in Africa and Digital Partnership’ seminar later in the day. Modi, who arrived in Japan, last week, is on a two-day official visit to Japan to participate in the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit. After a banquet dinner that Abe will host around 7.45 pm, Modi will head back to New Delhi. With inputs from agencies