India-Japan strengthen ties, renew cooperation on language and bullet train project during Fumio Kishida's visit
1 min read 20 Mar 2023, 07:11 PM ISTThe visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to India came at a time when both countries are having cordial relations with each
PremiumIndia and Japan agreed to sign two agreements on Monday, one to renew a memorandum of cooperation related to the Japanese language, and the other to exchange notes regarding a 300 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project, commonly referred to as the "bullet train."
The agreements are signed as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on a visit to India.
"There were two documents signed on the sidelines- Renewal of MOC (Memorandum of Cooperation) in the Japanese language, essentially focussing on higher level language learning and second agreement was Exchange of notes on JICA loan for 300 bn on Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway project," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said in a special briefing.
JICA and the Government of India signed a loan agreement in 2022 for an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of 100,000 million Japanese Yen (approx. ₹6,000 Crore) which was the Trache 3 on the 'Project for the Construction of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR).'
The primary goal of the initiative is to enhance mobility in India and contribute to regional economic growth by constructing a high-speed rail, utilizing Japan's advanced Shinkansen technology, commonly referred to as the "Bullet Train," to establish a high-frequency mass transit system between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
"4th tranche of loan agreement between India, Japan signed during this visit.. (leaders took stock of) current status of implementation of the project", Kwatra said on the bullet train project.
The visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to India came at a time when both countries are having cordial relations with each other and are also participating in several regional and bilateral exercises.
"Guided by strong political will on both sides, the partnership has made significant progress in the last few years covering the entire gamut of mutual engagement as witnessed in the growing convergence of our political-strategic, and economic interests. In fact, PM Modi has referred to the India-Japan relationship as one of the most natural partnerships in the region," said Kwatra.
(With inputs from ANI)
