PM Modi calls for deeper India-Japan state-prefecture cooperation

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. 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. PM Modi travelled to Sendai in the Japanese prefecture of Miyagi to visit a semiconductor plant. Modi was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba. The prime ministers travelled to Sendai from Tokyo in a bullet train.

Reached Sendai. Travelled with PM Ishiba to this city on the Shinkansen.@shigeruishiba pic.twitter.com/qBc4bU1Pdt

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2025

India and Japan on Friday laid a strong foundation for "a new and golden chapter" in the Special Strategic and Global Partnership, setting a roadmap for the next decade and advancing cooperation across eight pillars to give new vigour to the ties. The two countries agreed adopted a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, which elevates the defence and security ties to the next level, taking into account the contemporary geopolitical realities and security configurations in the region.