Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meet Presdient Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi and Tokyo, both of which have territorial disputes with Beijing, have no claims in the waterway but worry about China’s growing military reach into sea lanes through which much of Japan’s shipborne trade passes.

Modi said that the Indian government would actively consider all the recommendations of the Forum.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives on a three day visit to India on December 11.

The two countries also laid the groundwork for Japan to help India further develop its nuclear power, with a final deal to be signed after technical details are finalized.

“Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met President Pranab Mukherjee today”, the official Twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr.

They also supported the strengthening of global cooperation to address the challenges of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. “That could be construed as progress”, she said.

“In order to maintain an open, free and peaceful sea, it becomes important more and more for there to be collaboration between Japan and India, as well as the worldwide community including the U.S.”, he said in an article published in the Times of India. The sanctions were lifted in 2001 and relations have since improved significantly.

“Not just high speed train, India wants high speed growth”, Modi said at the business meet in the Indian capital.

The two leaders are expected to discuss defence ties and a civil nuclear agreement, in addition to finalising the agreement on the train line. Abe welcomed the fact that on her first visit as External Affairs Minister to Pakistan, Swaraj achieved an agreement between India and Pakistan on resuming dialogue.

In contrast, China accounted for 18.3 percent of total Japanese exports in 2014, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist for IHS Global Insight.

Abe is also expected to take a tour with Modi of India’s holiest city of Varanasi and the premier’s parliamentary constituency.

A final deal with Japan would also benefit US firms.

“Japanese and Indian forces might not be operating together, but they share the same goal: to maintain the balance of power in the region”, said Narushige Michishita at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington.

What India needs is good infrastructure, especially railways, roads, aircraft and electricity, she said, adding that Japan could contribute greatly in all those fields.

“Japan is virtually underwriting India’s public expend in Infra”, said Vinayak Chatterjee, chairman of Feedback Infra, “After Rs.81,000 crore soft loan for Bullet Train, now Rs.100,000 crore for road financing”.

And Japan has agreed to develop highways in India’s remote northeast, where India and China fought a brief but bloody border war in 1962 over the state of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which Beijing claims as South Tibet.