Japan, India enhance defence and security cooperation

At the meeting, the two leaders decided to enhance their close defence and security partnership, besides going for joint development of military platforms and equipment, a reflection of the growing congruence of their ties in strategic spheres.

The joint statement said the two Prime Ministers pledged to bolster defence and security ties, apart from ramping up cooperation in production of defence equipment such as surveillance and unmanned system technologies.

The two countries are expected to come up with a joint statement that will outline their priorities over the next year and beyond.

India will invest USD17bn to build its first high-speed train system, having reached a deal with Japan to help finance the project.

The network, which will run 508km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, was announced last week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"This is the new India, and the flight of its dreams is endless," he said. "The bullet train project will bring speed and employment. It is human-friendly and eco-friendly."

Mr. Modi and Abe have met 10 times in the last three years, most recently on the sidelines of the G20 Summit at Hamburg in July. Modi had visited Japan in November 2016./.