Greater engagement with Japanese industries will help Indian MSMEs: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that greater participation and engagement of industries in Japan will benefit India’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

“Greater participation and engagement of industries in Hyogo (prefecture of Japan) will benefit Japan and India’s MSME sector for which it could prove transformational,” Modi said at a lunch hosted in his honour here by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the state government of Gujarat and the government of Japan’s Hyogo prefecture.

Modi recalled his visits to Kobe in 2007 and 2012 even before he became Prime Minister and said that the Indian community in this Japanese city has a long history of trade and commerce.

“I congratulate all residents of Kobe on the forthcoming 150 years of its port,” he said.

“Our relationship is characterised by complete trust and mutual confidence. I thank (Hyogo) Governor (Toshizo) Ido for his valuable efforts to develop relations with Gujarat.”

Earlier on Saturday, the third and last day of his visit to Japan, Modi along with Abe travelled by the Shinkansen high-speed rail from Tokyo to Kobe.

Following the lunch, he visited the Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant here where the high-speed trains are manufactured to take first hand knowledge of the technology.

During Abe’s visit o New Delhi last year, Japan committed itself to develop a high-speed railway between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Modi arrived in Tokyo on Thursday and participated in the annual India-Japan bilateral summit with Abe on Friday following which 10 agreements were signed between the two sides, including the landmark civil nuclear agreement.

Modi visited Kobe in 2007 and 2012 earlier. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived at Tokyo Station to board the Shinkansen bullet train on Saturday. Mr. Modi, accompanied by Mr. Abe, will travel to Kobe using the bullet train. 

The same technology will be deployed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Railway. Modi, along with Abe, visited the Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant there to get first hand knowledge of the technology. The Prime Minister interacted with the Indian community both in Tokyo and Kobe.

Saturday is the last day of the three-day summit. Concluding his three-day visit to Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for India from the Japanese city of Osaka.

This is his second visit to Japan in two years.