India and Japan will work in close cooperation to overcome these challenges posed by the COVID-19 situation in the respective countries. The same was expressed during the phone call between PM Narendra Modi and Suga Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan.
As part of this cooperation, the two countries will work together to create resilient, diversified and trustworthy supply chains, ensuring reliable supply of critical materials and technologies, and developing new partnerships in manufacturing and skill development.
In this context, the two leaders emphasized the need for early operationalization of the Specified Skilled workers (SSW) agreement in order to synergize their strengths and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. They also highlighted the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project as a shining example of their cooperation and welcomed the steady progress in its execution.
The two leaders appreciated the support and facilitation provided to resident citizens in each other’s country during the COVID-19 pandemic, and agreed to continue such coordination.
Prime Minister Modi also thanked Prime Minister Suga for providing assistance to India for combating the pandemic.
Dr. Niranjan B Poojar 
Balaji Subramanian