India can play even bigger role at global level under Modi govt: Japanese envoy

The next five years will be very crucial for India as the country is expected to play a bigger role at the world stage under the Narendra Modi-led government, Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu, said. "We are hoping that India will take more proactive reform measures to have better infrastructure and also address the social equity and social justice issues," the envoy said at an event organised by industry body FICCI.

The industry body held a session themed 'Japanese Imperial Succession and India-Japan Relations in the new Reiwa Era'. On May 1, 2019, Naruhito formally became the new emperor of Japan and ushered in a new imperial era called "Reiwa", which means "beautiful harmony".

Hiramatsu said, "We have a new era called Reiwa and India has started into a new stage with election of Prime Minister Modi and establishment of a new cabinet." "I am sure that the next five years would be very important for India. I am hoping that India becomes more prosperous, people are happier and caring for each other, and India becomes an even more important player at the world stage," he added.

The ambassador said Japan is not only supporting the mega projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train but also the grassroots projects across India. "We are very happy to support infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges and also want to support more people-to-people exchanges," the Japanese ambassador said.

He further said Japan is hoping that the Indian government will take extra measures to facilitate the Japanese investment into this country. "There is no doubt that many Japanese companies are really looking to invest in India...Japan is already one of the biggest investors in India and that will continue to grow," he asserted.

"We are also hoping that India will provide an even better business-friendly atmosphere for Japanese companies," he added. Talking about the new flights that have been started this year between Bengaluru and Tokyo, Hiramatsu said this is the right time to increase focus on tourism with the southern part of India.

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