Modi pitches ‘beyond Delhi-Tokyo’ push, urges Indian states-Japanese prefectures to deepen ties

At the meet in Tokyo, he stressed that collaboration must extend past capitals, with Japanese technology and Indian talent combining across states and prefectures.

Tokyo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met governors of 16 Japanese prefectures in Tokyo and called for strengthening state-prefecture cooperation under the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

"This morning in Tokyo, interacted with the governors of 16 prefectures of Japan. State-prefecture cooperation is a vital pillar of India-Japan friendship. This is also why a separate initiative on it was launched during the 15th Annual India-Japan Summit yesterday," the Prime Minister said in a post on X.

"There is immense scope to cooperate in areas like trade, innovation, entrepreneurship and more. Futuristic sectors like Startups, tech and AI too can be beneficial," he added.

The Ministry of External Affairs also shared details of the interaction in a post on X saying, "Taking greater strides in the steadfast India-Japan ties. PM Narendra Modi met with the Governors of 16 prefectures in Tokyo."

PM highlighted the potential of states-prefectures collaboration and in this regard urged action under the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative launched during 15th India-Japan Annual Summit for shared progress, it said.

Discussions focused on ways to further deepen the growing partnerships between Indian states and Japanese prefectures in the fields of technology, innovation, investment, skills, start-ups and SMEs, the ministry added.

According to the MEA statement, Modi, in his address underlined that India-Japan ties, drawing vitality from age-old civilisational linkages, continue to flourish.

He said the time had come to give a renewed push to state-prefecture engagement beyond the traditional focus on Tokyo and Delhi.

He highlighted that the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative would boost cooperation in trade, technology, tourism, skills, security and cultural exchanges.

The Prime Minister urged Japanese governors and Indian state governments to forge stronger collaborations in manufacturing, mobility, next-generation infrastructure, innovation, start-ups and small businesses.

Noting that each Japanese prefecture has its own economic and technological strengths and Indian states their unique capabilities, the Prime Minister invited the governors to contribute to India's growth story.

He also called for joint efforts in youth and skills exchange and optimally combining Japanese technology with Indian talent, the MEA said.

The governors observed that sub-national collaboration was key to taking bilateral business, educational, cultural and people-to-people ties to the next level, it added.