Courtesy Call by Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India

October 25, 2010
Japanese

On October 25 (Mon), Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister for Foreign Affairs, paid a courtesy call on Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, who is now visiting Japan, for about 40 minutes from 10:20 a.m. The outline of the meeting is as follows.
At the outset, Minister Maehara extended warm welcome to Prime Minister Singh, and stated that Japan-India relations had made significant progress under his strong leadership. Minister Maehara expressed his intention to further strengthen the Japan-India Strategic Global Partnership. Minister Maehara also noted that G4 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on UN Security Council reform in September in New York was a good meeting, attended by Indian Minister of External Affairs Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna, who was also present at the meeting. On economic issues, Minister Maehara explained that Japan attached great importance to the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), and expressed his gratitude for the efforts by Prime Minister Singh towards a successful conclusion of the Japan-India Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
In response, Prime Minister Singh stated that he was pleased with the continued progress of Japan-India relations, and that there was support across the party lines in India for strengthening relationship with Japan. He also expressed his gratitude for Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA), of which India has been the largest recipient. In addition, he said that along with the DFC and DMIC projects, the Delhi Metro was a symbolic project of Japan-India cooperation, and that metro systems have now been expanded in other cities in India. Prime Minister Singh stated that the two countries had a unique and complimentary relationship, with Japan's high technology and India's young labor force and its expanding market.
Prime Minister Singh welcomed the commencement of negotiations on an agreement for cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy and reiterated India's continuation of a moratorium on nuclear explosive testing. Minister Maehara offered his appreciation for Prime Minister Singh's statement on the continuation of a moratorium on nuclear explosive testing, and conveyed Japan's feelings as the only country to have ever suffered the devastation of nuclear bombing.

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