WATCH: PM Modi departs for Japan to attend 15th annual summit, first standalone visit in 7 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday departed from New Delhi  for a two-day official visit to Japan from August 29 to 30, where he will participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit.

The visit, at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, marks PM Modi’s first standalone trip to Japan in nearly seven years.

#WATCH | Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for Tokyo, Japan. He is on a two-day visit to Japan at the invitation of Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba to participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, marking PM Modi’s eighth visit to the country.

(Source: DD/ANI) pic.twitter.com/A9MUhk41UE

— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2025

During the visit, PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart will hold the annual summit meeting to review progress and outline the next phase of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which has seen steady growth in recent months.

Following his engagements in Japan, the Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

In a statement issued ahead of his departure, PM Modi underscored the importance of deepening ties with Tokyo, noting that the visit would focus on “the next phase” of bilateral cooperation.

“We would endeavour to give new wings to our collaboration, expand the scope and ambition of our economic and investment ties, and advance cooperation in new and emerging technologies, including AI and Semiconductors. The visit will also be an opportunity to strengthen our civilizational bonds and cultural ties that connect our peoples,” PM wrote.

This visit marks PM Modi’s first standalone trip to Japan in nearly seven years and his first annual summit with Ishiba.

PM Modi last visited in 2018 for the Annual Summit. Since then, he has visited Japan, but these visits have been for multilateral engagements and other ceremonial events.

This visit will be fully dedicated to the bilateral agenda between India and Japan. This is also PM Modi’s eighth visit to Japan since he took office in 2014, and reflects the very high priority that this particular relationship has in our foreign relations.

With inputs from agencies