Tokyo, Aug 30 (IANS) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sendai on Saturday, travelling aboard Japan’s iconic Shinkansen bullet train alongside his counterpart, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Sharing the experience on social media platform X, PM Modi wrote: “Reached Sendai. Travelled with PM Ishiba to this city on the Shinkansen.”
Upon his arrival, the Indian leader was welcomed by members of the Indian diaspora and local residents who greeted him with chants of “Modi-san, welcome!”, reflecting the warmth of the Indo-Japanese friendship.
Earlier in Tokyo, PM Modi met governors from 16 Japanese prefectures and stressed the importance of state-to-prefecture partnerships in driving collaboration in trade, technology, innovation, and startups. “Cooperation between states and prefectures is an important pillar in the friendship between India and Japan,” he posted on X.
The discussions were part of the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, where both nations launched the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative, aimed at deepening sub-national collaborations and creating direct linkages between Indian states and Japanese regions.
The initiative will focus on joint efforts in technology, investment, skill development, SMEs, and startups—strengthening grassroots-level economic integration.
During the summit, India and Japan also announced a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative to enhance cooperation in Large Language Models (LLMs), capacity building, and startup support. Additionally, the two sides signed a Digital Partnership 2.0 MoU, further expanding their collaboration in emerging technologies.
