Japan's Abe Leaves India with Key Agreements

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narandra Modi met and signed important agreements in New Delhi.

The leaders strengthened Japanese-Indian bonds by signing transportation, defense and energy agreements.

Abe’s three-day Indian trip ended Sunday.

The transportation deal permits Japan to create India’s first high-speed train network. The defense agreement lets Japan sell weapons to India. The two countries also signed a civil nuclear agreement.

The transportation deal calls for Japan to provide $12 billion to build and equip a bullet train route to run in the western part of India.

Two military defense pacts were signed. One agreement makes it possible for Japan to sell aircraft to India. The pacts also state the two countries will share military technology, equipment and information.

During the meeting, India invited Japan to participate along with the United States in naval exercises in the Indian Ocean.

The memo of understanding on civil nuclear energy is not completely finalized. But that agreement deals with Japan exporting nuclear technology to India.

Modi described India’s relationship with Japan by saying, “I cannot think of a strategic partnership that can exercise a more profound influence on shaping the course of Asia and our interlinked ocean regions more than ours.”

Asian analysts see the Japanese-Indian friendship as an attempt to contain China. Both India and Japan have territory disputes with China. Abe wrote in a Times of India editorial “it becomes important more and more for there to be collaboration between Japan and India…”

I’m Mario Ritter.

Anjana Pasricha and Fern Robinson wrote this story for VOAnews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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