Embassy of Japan in India :Japan Calling

I would like to pay a tribute to all those who have contributed to the successful implementation of the Japan-India Friendship Year 2007.

It was my great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh of India, to Japan, in December 2006. During his visit, we decided to establish a Strategic and Global Partnership between Japan and India, and affirmed that both countries bear the responsibility for, and are capable of, responding to global and regional challenges. Japan and India share a commitment to fundamental principles such as democracy, human rights, rule of law and free market economy, and are critically important partners in Asia. I strongly hope for our bilateral relations to be further strengthened in future.

In this endeavor, ties between people, or people-to-people exchanges, are of vital importance, in addition to political and economic relations. The Japanese and Indian people share ancient bonds and a proud civilizational heritage, and thus, have a large potential to deepen their interaction. I expect that a variety of cultural events held under the Japan-India Friendship Year will contribute to further promoting mutual understanding between the Japanese and Indian people. The year 2007 is also designated as Japan-India Tourism Year with the aim of boosting visits to each country. The Friendship Year and Tourism Year will have a synergistic effect on promoting significantly the people-to-people exchanges. It is my sincere hope that the Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries will be reinforced by friendly relations among the Japanese and Indian people, on the basis of their active interaction.

With this idea in mind, I attended the opening ceremony of the Japan-India Friendship Year, held in Tokyo on 14 December 2006, during Prime Minister Singh's visit to Japan. On my part, I intend to visit India during the year 2007.

Let us make the year 2007 a turning point of our relations, which future generations will frequently look back at and talk about with admiration. I look forward to a large number of people in Japan and India to actively take part in the Friendship Year.