Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who is on a visit to India has called for closer ties with country in defense, security and trade to create what he called an "arc of freedom and prosperity" and a "broader Asia" partnership in the region.
In his speech entitled "confluence of the two seas," Abe told Indian parliament members "the strategic global partnership of Japan and India is pivotal for such pursuits to be successful."
Meanwhile, he also called for prompt action on bilateral trade agreement between the two sides.
"It is incumbent on me to urge the Japanese negotiators to conclude promptly a comprehensive and high-quality economic agreement with India to set an example to the world."
In his address, the first by a foreign leader to the Indian parliament in seven years, he also pledged participation in a 90 billion U.S.-dollar industrial corridor project between New Delhi and India's financial center Mumbai.
Abe arrived in India on Tuesday with over 200 executives from companies such as Toyota, Canon and Hitachi. At present, trade between India and Japan stands at nearly 7 billion U.S. dollars.
