On Monday, India and Japan signed two documents, a renewal of a memorandum of cooperation on Japanese language and the exchange of notes on a 300 billion Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.
At a special briefing by the Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra on the visit of Japanese PM Kishida to India, He said that, “There were two documents signed on the sidelines- Renewal of MOC (Memorandum of Cooperation) in the Japanese language, essentially focussing on higher level language learning and second agreement was Exchange of notes on JICA loan for 300 bn on Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway project.”
Previously in 2022, JICA signed a loan agreement with the GOI to provide an Official Development Assistance loan of 100,000 million Japanese Yen, which is equivalent to Rs. 6,000 Crore as Tranche 3 on the ‘Project for the Construction of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR).’
In a statement while discussing the bullet train project, the Foreign Secretary stated that, “4th tranche of loan agreement between India, Japan signed during this visit.. (leaders took stock of) current status of implementation of the project.”
He further added, “Guided by strong political will on both sides, the partnership has made significant progress in the last few years covering the entire gamut of mutual engagement as witnessed in the growing convergence of our political strategic and economic interests.
He continued, “In fact, PM Modi has referred to the India-Japan relationship as one of the most natural partnerships in the region.”