Tokyo, Aug 20 : Hailing the deepening bilateral ties, India's Ambassador to Japan Sibi George on Wednesday stated that the relationship has seen "significant, quantum leap" over the past few years.

In an interview with IANS, George called India and Japan "like-minded countries and natural partners.", stating that the ties have seen steady progress across various sectors since 2014. He stressed that it is important for India to engage with each prefecture of Japan.

When asked whether India and Japan together form a formidable partnership in the new world order, the Indian diplomat responded, "In 2014, India and Japan agreed to what we call a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. It has reinforced the civilisational connection that has existed between our two countries for centuries. What we have seen since 2014 is steady progress in our relationship, encompassing multiple sectors: Political engagement, business partnerships, Defence and security cooperation, people-to-people connect, and science and technology engagement. You have seen this progress in every field over the last ten years. And now, in this evolving geopolitical and geo-economic situation, we are continuing to deepen our engagement at every level in all of these areas."

"India and Japan are like-minded countries, natural partners, and the sky is not even the limit for our relationship. We are even cooperating in space exploration. There has been a significant, quantum leap in our relationship over the last few years, and this will continue. We are looking at a new road map and vision for our relationship ' one that takes it to new levels and encompasses all possible aspects. This includes cooperation between Indian states and Japanese prefectures. We strongly believe that Tokyo alone is not Japan ' Japan is much bigger than Tokyo. So, it is very important for us to engage with each and every prefecture of Japan, and that is what we have been doing in recent years and will continue to do. Similarly, we are connecting Japanese prefectures with Indian states, and we are receiving a very positive response from the Japanese side to this initiative," he added.

Friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilisational ties. India-Japan ties were elevated to 'Global Partnershipʼ in 2000, 'Strategic and Global Partnershipʼ in 2006, and 'Special Strategic and Global Partnershipʼ in 2014. Regular Annual Summits have taken place between two nations since 2006.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), there is a growing strategic convergence between India and Japan with the synergy quite visible between India's Act-East Policy, Indo-Pacific vision based on the principle of SAGAR, and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) on one hand and Japanʼs Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision on the other.

Ambassador George stated that the India-Japan success story is a "product with immense attraction." He expressed confidence that the ties between India and Japan are moving in the right direction.

When asked what makes the India-Japan economic story so compelling, he responded, "As an Ambassador, I always say every Ambassador is a salesman, and I am very proud to have a great product to present. The India'Japan success story is a product with immense attraction. India is now the fourth-largest economy in the world. It offers billions of opportunities, and it is for Japan to fully harness them. This is key to addressing the geopolitical and geo-economic challenges we all face today. And I am confident that we are moving in the right direction."

/IANS