Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks on Sunday, November 23, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 35-minute meeting, which began at 1:40 PM local time, focused on elevating the Japan-India strategic partnership.

Renewed commitment to critical technologies

Japan has renewed its commitment to deepen cooperation with India in critical and emerging technologies. A statement from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Prime Minister Takaichi expressed her intention to further strengthen Japan-India relations and aims to realise concrete progress based on the Japan-India Joint Vision for the Next Decade, launched during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan.

She highlighted the need for deeper collaboration across security, defence, economic partnership, and people-to-people exchanges.

Focus on innovation and economic security

Prime Minister Takaichi said Japan hopes to capitalise on the strengths of both countries to drive innovation in high-value sectors, including semiconductors, AI, and other emerging technologies that are key to economic security. She stressed the importance of turning this cooperation into measurable outcomes.

Shared vision for Indo-Pacific

Both leaders agreed to work closely towards a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, emphasising that India and Japan remain trusted partners whose cooperation is vital for regional and global stability.

Personal exchanges

Prime Minister Modi congratulated Prime Minister Takaichi on taking office and welcomed the opportunity for a face-to-face conversation. In response, Prime Minister Takaichi thanked him, offered condolences for the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Delhi, and wished a speedy recovery for those injured.

PM Modi’s G20 visit

Prime Minister Modi was in Johannesburg from 22 to 23 November to participate in the G20 Summit sessions and hold several bilateral meetings with world leaders.