India, Japan to deepen maritime relations

India and Japan on Monday agreed to deepen maritime relations for a sustainable, mutually beneficial future, according to an official statement.

In this regard, Union Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held bilateral talks with Japan's Vice Minister for International Affairs Terada Yoshimichi in Oslo, Norway, the statement said.

''With a goal to deepen the maritime relations between the two countries, the meeting entailed discussions on multiple areas, including investment by Japanese Shipyards, collaboration on port digitisation and green port initiatives, increase in R&D cooperation, upskilling human resources, and employment of Indian seafarers in Japan among others,'' it said.

Both ministers also discussed using sustainable technologies, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and enhanced connectivity to enable the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands to be converted into 'Smart Islands'.

Further, the meeting noted increasing partnership between Indian and Japanese shipyards, including greenfield investment such as Imabari Shipbuilding in Andhra Pradesh, it added.

Sonowal expressed India's interest in leading Japanese shipbuilding companies such as Imabari Shipbuilding, JMUC, Kanagawa Dockyard, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to explore joint ventures and collaborative arrangements with Indian yards.

The minister said, ''Our collaboration under the Quad framework and the India-Japan-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) reflects our shared commitment to strengthening regional maritime security and economic integration.'' Japan's Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism (MLIT) Terada Yoshimichi said Japan has been engaged in railway infrastructure development with India, but now it is interested in the maritime sector.

''Prospects of mutual collaboration in shipbuilding and training of seafarers were discussed and considered positively,'' the statement said.

Sonowal is on a five-day visit to Norway and Denmark beginning June 2 to strengthen maritime ties with these two countries.

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