NEW DELHI: Japan has assured all assistance to India in its fight against terrorism, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh said, noting that the two countries have also stressed on strengthening parliamentary exchanges, economic and strategic ties.
The assurance was given by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Japan with whom a parliamentary delegation from India interacted.
Harivansh, who led the delegation, said terrorism tops the list of existential threats that the world faces today and he thanked Government of Japan for expressing solidarity with India in its fight against global terror.
The people of India and the international community look up to Japan’s leadership in strongly articulating against terrorism in this year’s G20 Summit, he said, adding the speaker of House of Representative, Japan condemned terrorism and assured assistance to India in the fight against it.
The parliamentary delegation from India visited Japan and interacted with members of Japan-India Parliamentary Friendship League (JIPFL) on matters of mutual interest for the two countries in general and the two Parliaments in particular.
The delegation included MPs Bhubaneswar Kalita, Shamsher Singh Manhas and Banda Prakash, besides the Rajya Sabha secretary general, and other officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
Appreciating the role of JIPFL in providing bipartisan political support for strengthening relations between Japan and India, the deputy chairman said it would be ideal if the Upper Houses of both Parliaments sign an agreement to strengthen parliamentary cooperation.
Referring to a 2018 summit meeting between both the prime ministers, which achieved numerous milestones covering diverse areas, Harivansh called upon Japanese companies to participate in flagship initiatives such as Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, Smart cities etc.
Appreciating the role of Japanese companies in skilling youth, the deputy chairman mentioned the flagship skill cooperation initiative of Japan-India Institutes of Manufacturing (JIM) and Japanese Endowed Courses (JEC).
This is a win-win opportunity as both sides stand to benefit from such initiatives, he said.
Harivansh said close people-to-people contacts remain the bedrock of bilateral relations and called upon authorities to ensure greater flow of two-way tourists.
Underlining the popularity of Japanese language in India, he said that more and more youngsters were learning it given the opportunities in Japan on areas ranging from the research and innovation to IT sector to skilled employment.
The Rajya Sabha deputy chairman said given the close friendship between the people of the two countries and growing engagement in many fronts, the future of India-Japan bilateral relation is full of promise and potential.
India and Japan continue to be close partners for peace, progress and prosperity in the 21st century, he said. PTI
