By Sibi George, Ambassador of India to Japan

On the occasion of India's 76th Republic Day, I extend my warm greetings to Their Majesties, the Emperor and the Empress of Japan, and the government and the people of Japan. I also take this opportunity to convey special greetings to fellow Indian nationals and friends of India in Japan, who are important stakeholders in the progressive India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

India and Japan have a special relationship rooted in shared values of democracy, freedom and rule of law, mutual respect and a common vision for the future. Last year, we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Over the last decade, we have seen our partnership evolve into a robust and multifaceted relationship, firmly rooted in a vision for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. This strategic convergence is reflected in our active collaboration in multilateral and plurilateral groupings including the Quad (India, Japan, Australia and the United States).

Over the past year, our prime ministers met thrice: on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos, the Quad meeting in the U.S. and the G7 Summit in Italy. Various high-level bilateral dialogues were also held including the 16th and 17th Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo and New Delhi respectively. Our Foreign Ministers met on the sidelines of G7 Ministerial Meeting in Italy, as well. Honorable Speaker of the House of Representatives Fukushiro Nukaga visited India in July and August 2024.

Our defense and security cooperation is a shining example of the significant progress in our bilateral partnership. Our defense ministers met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting in Laos. The discussions at the 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi led to the recent signing of the Memorandum of Implementation for the procurement of Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) for the Indian Navy. This is the first instance of co-development and co-production of defense equipment between India and Japan, and we are confident that this achievement will open the door for further cooperation in this critical area.

One of the highlights of our progressive partnership this past year was the inaugural India-Japan Dialogue on Economic Security Including Strategic Trade and Technology, held in Tokyo. Among other things, this dialogue provided an excellent opportunity to promote collaboration in key critical technologies including semiconductors, clean hydrogen, telecommunication, AI and quantum computing.

The economic partnership continues to be an important pillar of India-Japan co-operation. India and Japan have set an investment target of 5 trillion yen ($31.95 billion) by 2027. It is satisfying to note that there has been significant progress toward achieving this target. India's economic resilience, robust growth, ease of doing business, skilled workforce and a burgeoning startup ecosystem have all been critical in advancing our economic and business cooperation.

People-to-people exchanges form the bedrock of our relationship. India and Japan are currently discussing proposals and ideas to strengthen our cooperation in the field of human resource and personnel exchanges. 2024 was designated as the India-Japan Year of Tourism 2.0, with the theme "Connecting Himalayas with Mount Fuji." In September 2024, "India Month" was organized in Japan and a "Japan Month" was organized in India. We expect that India's participation in the Osaka-Kansai World Expo 2025 will further strengthen business-to-business cooperation and people-to-people contact between our two countries. There is great interest among the prefectures of Japan and the states of India in engaging with each other, and this was reflected in several high-level visits last year.

As a fast-growing, large economy, India is on a journey to secure its development, with Japan as a valuable partner. I am confident that the India-Japan partnership will continue to strengthen and prosper in a safe, secure and sustainable world.