 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. Photo: PTI")
India and Japan on Saturday signed 16 agreements in the fields of high-speed trains, defence equipment and technology, security, infrastructure, education and economy including civil nuclear energy.
The agreements were signed after the delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
The following are the agreements:
1. Memorandum concerning the agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy: Both sides confirmed they have reached agreement on such cooperation.
2. Pact on high-speed trains: This memorandum confirms cooperation in developing Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor using Japanese high-speed rail technologies and financial and technical assistance.
3. Agreement concerning transfer of defence equipment and technology: This agreement provides a framework to enhance defence and security cooperation by making available to each other defence equipment and technology necessary to implement joint research, development and/or production projects.
4. Agreement concerning security measures for the protection of classified military information: This agreement ensures the reciprocal protection of classified military information transmitted to each other, provided that the terms of protection are consistent with the national laws and regulations of the Receiving Party.
5. Agreement on amending protocol of double taxation avoidance: This agreement amends the convention between India and Japan for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, signed in 1989.
6. Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India's ministry of railways and Japan's MLIT (ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism): This memorandum establishes areas for comprehensive technological cooperation, including sharing of information and best practices; exchanges of officials and technicians; facilitating the participation of other institutions, organisations and ministries; conducting joint research and studies.
7. Pact on technological cooperation between India's Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute (JRTRI): This memorandum proposes cooperation in the areas of safety in train operations; advanced techniques of maintenance; use of environment-friendly technologies etc.
8. Letter of Intent on the strategic international cooperation programme between India's Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JSTA): The programme promotes and supports collaborative activities, such as joint research projects, joint research laboratories and hub, joint seminars, symposia and other meetings between the research institutes and researchers supported by JSTA and DST.
9. Letter of Intent toward establishing a young researcher's exchange programme between the DST of India and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: The document intends to establish reciprocal fellowship programme for capacity building and human resource development in frontier areas of science and technology.
10. MoC between India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and Japan's ministry of health, labour and welfare: The memorandum establishes the medical products regulation dialogue and cooperation framework to facilitate a constructive dialogue in areas pertinent to raw materials for pharmaceutical use, biological products and medical devices.
11. MoC in the field of education between India's Ministry of Human Resource Development and Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: The memorandum encourages development of contacts and cooperation between the educational institutions of the two countries and possible support for exchange of aspiring students between India and Japan.
12. Statement of Intent between NITI Aayog and Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ): This statement lays down the broad mission of promoting cooperation between NITI Aayog and IEEJ for the purpose of analysing issues related to energy sector in order to examine and understand various energy sector related issues in the world.
13. Pact on cooperation between state government of Andhra Pradesh and Toyama Prefecture: The memorandum strengthens existing bonds between Andhra Pradesh and Toyama by facilitating mutual collaboration between their governments, institutions, and companies.
14. MoU between state government of Kerala and Lake Nakaumi, Lake Shinji and Mt. Daisen area Mayors Association: Under the memorandum, Kerala and the Sanin region, Japan, agree to develop trade, investment and economic relations between the business circles with particular focus on small and medium enterprises.
15. MoU between Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and Japan's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS): The memorandum promotes collaboration between the two institutions to enrich the intellectual environment of both.
16. MoC between India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: The memorandum endeavours to enhance cooperation in human resource development and institutional exchange between training institutes, sustainable forest management, enhancement of forest conservation and forest disaster prevention.
