Tokyo, Aug 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Tokyo, met with the Governors of 16 Japanese prefectures, reaffirming India’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Japan through grassroots and regional-level collaborations.

The meeting underscored the growing importance of the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative, aimed at fostering cooperation between Indian states and Japanese prefectures across a range of strategic sectors.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday, highlighted the outcome of the meeting, with MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal sharing key details via the social media platform X.

“Taking greater strides in the steadfast India-Japan ties. PM @narendramodi 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 - Annual Summit for shared progress. 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,” Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.

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During the interaction, Prime Minister Modi emphasised the importance of creating direct linkages between Indian states and Japanese regions, especially in technology, innovation, investment, skill development, start-ups, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

India and Japan on Friday announced the launch of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative to advance collaboration in Large Language Models (LLMs), training, capacity building and support for businesses and start-ups to foster a trustworthy AI ecosystem.

The two nations also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Digital Partnership 2.0 during the ongoing visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tokyo.

Prime Minister Modi also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Ishiba to attend the AI Impact Summit, which will be hosted by India in February 2026. Furthermore, the two Prime Ministers emphasised the importance of support for startups and concurred in promoting activities of startups of both countries in India, including through the Japan-India Startup Support Initiative (JISSI).

Earlier in the day, PM Modi, while addressing the India-Japan Business Forum, said Japan's technology and India's talent together can lead the tech revolution of this century.

(IANS/NS)

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