Tokyo/New Delhi, Aug 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on his first standalone visit to Japan in nearly seven years to participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, on Friday. This will be Prime Minister Modi's eighth visit to Japan, and the 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 his stay, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and 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.

The Indo-Pacific visions of both countries are closely aligned, with India's Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) complementing Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).

The cooperation extends to plurilateral platforms such as the Quad, the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI).

Japan takes the lead on the connectivity pillar of the IPOI and is also India's largest donor of official development assistance (ODA).

"India and Japan are two countries that share values, trust and strategic outlook on several issues. They are Asia's two leading democracies and amongst the world's top five economies," Misri stated.

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, Prime Minister Modi will travel to China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

/IANS