PM in Japan to cement strategic relations

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here on Monday on a three-day visit to further cement India’s strategic economic, political and security relations with Japan and push for a civil nuclear energy cooperation deal.

Singh, accompanied by wife Gursharan Kaur, was accorded a red carpet welcome upon his arrival.

On Monday, there were reports that Japan is close to signing an agreement to supply amphibious planes to India, in what would be the first sale of hardware used by the military since a weapons export ban was imposed.

The two sides are set to firm up plans for Delhi to purchase the US-2, a domestically-developed aircraft used by Japan’s armed forces.

The sale, reported by the Nikkei business daily, would be the first of a finished product made by Japan’s homegrown defence industry since rules were imposed restricting the export of weapons systems and other equipment.

Singh will hold exhaustive talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Wednesday on the entire gamut of bilateral ties.

“I look forward to further cementing our ties with Japan,” Singh said in a statement on his arrival.

“India and Japan have a strategic and global partnership. There are enormous potentialities for further enriching our relationship, deepening it and brightening it in economic relations, political relations and security relations,” Singh said.