On the first day of his two-day visit to Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 23 May, addressed the Indian diaspora in Tokyo.
The prime minister is in the Japanese capital at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and will attend the QUAD summit on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Talking about Indian democracy while addressing the Indian diaspora, the prime minister said, "In the last eight years, we have made our democracy strong and resilient. It is serving as one of the strongest pillars of progress."
"We are working towards building a system that is not only inclusive but caters to a leak-proof governance to fulfill the aspirations of every citizen. We have a people-led government in the true sense in India today. This has become a key reason for strengthening democracy in India," he added.
On the COVID-19 pandemic, Modi said, "Coronavirus caused the biggest crisis of 100 years before the world. When it began, no one knew what would happen next. No one even knew whether vaccines would come or not. But India still sent medicines to other countries during that period."
He further added that "when vaccines became available, India also supplied 'Made in India' vaccines to crores of its citizens and also sent them to more than 100 countries of the world."
'Japan is an Important Partner'
The prime minister emphasised on the importance of Japan as India's partner.
"Today, the world is realising the speed and scale on which India is increasing its infrastructure and capacity building. Japan is an important partner in building this capacity of ours," the prime minister said.
"India and Japan are natural partners. Japan has played an important role in India's development journey. Our relationship with Japan is of intimacy, spirituality, cooperation and belonging."
"Be it Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, or the dedicated freight corridor, these are great examples of India-Japan cooperation," he added.
Modi even held separate bilateral meetings with Japanese business leaders before addressing the Indian diaspora.
He will take part in the QUAD summit tomorrow and also have bilateral meetings with the heads of state of the US, Australia, and Japan.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times, ANI, and India Today)
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