India, Japan aim to combat terrorism, build economic development, mutual cooperation

India and Japan on Thursday discussed various issues including terrorism, economic development, and mutual cooperation, a joint statement by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday arrived in Japan's capital Tokyo on a three-day visit to Japan during which she will co-chair the Ninth India-Japan Strategic Dialogue with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.

According to the statement, the two leaders exchanged views on Japan's role in the economic development of India, and in the view of Tokyo's contribution in the development of foreign countries, the two countries discussed development schemes in Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

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Describing terrorism as a black spot in the world and agreeing to tackle the menace together, Swaraj emphasised on the need to demolish terrorist safe havens, destroy terror networks and stall the terrorists' plans to launch attacks on foreign territories.

Kono and Swaraj welcomed the constantly increasing interaction between the people of the two countries, including economists, Members of Parliament and scholars.

India-Japan ties have been on the upswing after the bilateral relationship was elevated to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan in 2014.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe`s visit to India in September last year for the annual bilateral summit gave fresh impetus to the ties. During that visit, the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, to be built with Japanese aid, was also held.