Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attended the reception commemorating the 120th anniversary of the establishment of the Japan-India Association (JIA). A ceremony was also held for the formal announcement of Yoshihide Suga as the Chairman of JIA.
Established in 1903, the JIA is one of the oldest friendship associations in Japan, the Prime Minister's office said in a press release. At the ceremony to mark the 120th anniversary of the Japan India Association, Fumio Kishida said that Japan will leverage various opportunities to bolster ties with India, according to The Japan Times report.
At the ceremony held in Tokyo, Yoshihide Suga called for bolstering Japan-India ties. Suga became chairman of the Japan India Association on January 1, succeeding former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, The Japan Times reported.
In his speech, Yoshihide Suga noted that Japan is hosting the Group of Seven industrialized nations and India is chairing a summit of the Group of 20 major economies. He called it "important" that India and Japan "exercise leadership," as per The Japan Times report.
(ANI)