3 September 2014: An annual summit meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Japan resulted in a joint statement, titled the ‘Tokyo Declaration for Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership,’ and several announcements of enhanced cooperation in programmes and projects in the areas of sustainable energy and climate change.

The joint statement was signed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Announced as part of the statement, the ‘Japan-India Investment Promotion Partnership’ seeks to double Japan’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in India, including through financing of public and private projects of mutual interest in the areas of, inter alia: next generation infrastructure; transport systems; smart cities; and clean energy. With regard to science, the two Prime Ministers decided to accelerate cooperation in cutting-edge fields, including ocean technology and ocean observations, clean and renewable energy, water technology, and climate change science.

The Prime Ministers also instructed relevant authorities to enhance cooperation in several sectors, through programmes and projects. On infrastructure, a feasibility study was announced by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for setting up a 10 MW canal-top solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Gujarat, India. A number of ‘Smart Community’ projects are also underway in six Indian states. The Japanese side also underscored its policy to promote people-centred and inclusive investment that aims to maximize the number of people enjoying economic benefits, enhanced resilience to climate change and natural disasters, and capacity building.

On energy and natural resources, the Prime Ministers affirmed their intention to further strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries through the ‘India-Japan Energy Dialogue,’ including in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy and coal-fired generation technology.

On sustainable energy, the event marked the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India (MNRE) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in the field of new and renewable energy. The MoU aims to promote renewable energy projects through an exchange of information and opinions between the two parts.

In parallel, on 1 September, JICA also signed Japanese official development assistance (ODA) loan agreements with the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), under the MNRE, and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIBD) to provide up to ¥60 billion (approximately US$550 million) for the promotion of renewable energy deployment, and to support energy savings in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The annual summit was held from 30 August to 3 September 2014, in Tokyo, Japan. [Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo Declaration] [Government of India Factsheet] [JBIC Press Release] [JICA Press Release]