New Delhi, Aug 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that his visits to Japan and China would further the country's national interests and priorities. PM Modi made the statement ahead of his departure for Japan, the first leg of his two-nation visit, which will also take him to China for the SCO Summit later this week.

"I am confident that my visits to Japan and China would further our national interests and priorities, and contribute to building fruitful cooperation in advancing regional and global peace, security, and sustainable development," said PM Modi in his Departure Statement late Thursday evening.

This will be PM Modi's eighth visit to Japan. On Friday, he is scheduled to participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, his first Summit meeting with Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba.

PM Modi last visited Japan in May 2023. Both leaders had earlier met in June 2025 on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada and during the 21st ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane in Laos, last year.

"During my visit, we would focus on shaping the next phase in our Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which has made steady and significant progress over the past eleven years. We would endeavor to give new wings to our collaboration, expand scope and ambition of our economic and investment ties, and advance cooperation in new and emerging technologies, including AI and Semiconductors. The visit will also be an opportunity to strengthen our civilizational bonds and cultural ties that connect our peoples," said PM Modi in his departure statement, issued late Thursday evening.

During his two-day stay, Ishiba will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and also hold a working dinner. The two leaders are also scheduled to visit Miyagi Prefecture.

"It is expected that Prime Minister Modi's visit to Japan will further deepen the friendly and cooperative relations between Japan and India. This will be Prime Minister Modi's eighth visit to Japan as Prime Minister, his last visit was in May 2023," read a statement issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry ahead of PM Modi's visit.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), during the visit, the two Prime Ministers will review the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, including defence and security, trade and economy, technology and innovation, and people to people exchanges, as well as discuss issues of regional and global importance. The visit will reaffirm the longstanding special bond of friendship between the two countries.

"The annual summit between India and Japan represents the highest-level dialogue mechanism that exists between the two countries, and it drives the agenda of the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership," said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

India and Japan share a Special Strategic and Global Partnership since 2014, which, according to the MEA, is rooted in civilisational ties and reinforced by convergence in regional and global outlooks.

During the summit, both Prime Ministers are expected to evaluate progress achieved in recent years, while also exchanging perspectives on key regional and global matters.

Foreign Secretary Misri highlighted that India-Japan relations have consistently broadened in scope and ambition over the last decade, and the visit would enable the launch of new initiatives aimed at enhancing resilience in the partnership while addressing emerging opportunities and challenges.

He also underlined that India continues to place high importance on the Quad grouping -- comprising India, Japan, the United States, and Australia -- which is widely viewed as a strategic counterbalance to China in the Indo-Pacific.

"In recent years, engagement between Indian states and Japanese prefectures has intensified, and this aspect will also be a focus during the visit. Overall, the visit will consolidate our long-standing friendship, open fresh avenues of cooperation and reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, prosperity and stability in our shared Indo-Pacific region and beyond," Misri told reporters ahead of PM Modi's departure.

During the two-day visit, PM Modi is also scheduled to participate in a business leaders' forum involving top Indian and Japanese industry representatives. The discussions will include matters related to strengthening cooperation within the Quad as well as bolstering security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Following his engagements in Japan, PM Modi will travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin from August 31-September 1. This will be PM Modi's first visit to China in last seven years and the first since the Galwan Valley faceoff between the soldiers of the two countries at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in June 2020.

"From Japan, I will travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. India is an active and constructive member of SCO. During our Presidency, we have introduced new ideas and initiated collaboration in the fields of innovation, health and cultural exchanges. India remains committed to working with the SCO members to address shared challenges and deepen regional cooperation. I also look forward to meeting President Xi Jinping, President Putin and other leaders on the sidelines of the Summit," PM Modi stated in his departure statement.

/IANS