Japan, India to extend strategic cooperation to science and technology

Japan intends to expand its strategic cooperation with India, to cover a whole host of industries from infrastructure to nanotechnology and life sciences, through an expansion of its investments in this country.

The Japanese government is ready and willing to encourage Japanese investment in all sectors of the Indian economy, including bio-technology, nanotechnology, life sciences, supercomputing, environmental and water conservation etc, in addition to the infrastructure and automobile sectors, minister of state for science and technology, earth sciences and planning, Dr Ashwani Kumar, said today.

The Indian minister, who is on visit to Japan, said this after talks with Japan's senior vice minister of the ministry of economy, trade and industry, Seishu Makiano, in Tokyo, on Thursday.

The ministers also discussed the progress of the $90-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project.

Both ministers agreed that the time has come for building on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries, which has come into force in August this year.

During a meeting with Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba in Tokyo on Wednesday, Ashwani Kumar had affirmed India's commitment to a fair and non-discriminatory non-proliferation regime and expressed appreciation for Japan's support to India in the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) for its civil nuclear energy programme.