Prathamesh Basagare, Pune
Yoshimasa Hayashi, the foreign minister of Japan, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday on a two-day trip aimed at enhancing bilateral strategic ties. The foreign minister went and rode the Delhi Metro during his stay. Later that day, he had extensive discussions about a variety of topics related to the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Yoshimasa Hayashi has urged India to improve its business climate, with Japanese companies doing business there flagging a number of obstacles related to infrastructure and taxation. During the strategic dialogue between the foreign ministers of India and Japan on Thursday, Hayashi and S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, discussed the matter. According to a Japanese statement about the conversation, Hayashi “requested cooperation to improve the investment environment and for the early establishment of a Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM)”.
“The view from the Japanese businesspeople here is that they would like to see a more predictable, transparent and stable business environment in India, including implementing the legislation and tax issues,” Yukiko Okano, the Japanese foreign ministry’s deputy press secretary, stated this during a press briefing.
Along with Jaishankar, the Japanese minister spoke to the audience during the India-Japan Forum’s opening session and took part in a Q&A session. In his speech, Hayashi emphasized the importance of 2023 for Japan and India as they reassume the roles of G7 and G20 presidencies, respectively. He highlighted the significance of this year for both nations in their leadership positions within these influential international forums.
While in Delhi, the minister also declared that Japan would assist in making the G20 conference in New Delhi a success. In order to improve the future of the region and the global community, he declared that Japan would continue to cooperate with India in an atmosphere of harmony and coordination.