Japan, India to Collaborate on Biogas-Fueled Vehicles

Tokyo, July 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, agreed Thursday on a host of cooperation projects, including a plan to promote biogas-fueled vehicles in India. At their summit in New Delhi, the two leaders agreed to deepen collaboration in key areas, such as diversifying energy sources and developing information and communication infrastructure as well as artificial intelligence. The two countries aim to complement each other to strengthen their economic security, by combining Japan’s sophisticated technologies and capital with India’s information technology-savvy talent and growing market. Takaichi, on the second day of a three-day visit to India, said in a joint press conference with Modi that she hopes to carve out the future of Japan and India through public-private cooperation. Last year, the two governments agreed that the Japanese private sector would invest 10 trillion yen in India over 10 years. On Thursday, Japanese and Indian corporations signed documents on about 120 cooperation projects, including around 2 trillion yen of investments, on the sidelines of the Takaichi-Modi summit. The Japanese government is set to provide yen loans for the biogas project, under which some 1,000 plants will be built in India to produce methane from cattle feces and sugar cane purchased from local farmers. The methane will be used as fuel for compressed natural gas vehicles. Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp., which has factories in India, will cooperate in developing sales channels for the vehicles. On the IT front, the two governments signed a memorandum on cooperation for AI development. India has a wealth of IT talent while lacking infrastructure for information processing. The memorandum includes a policy to support joint development by allowing private companies from both countries to use a supercomputer specializing in AI development that is run by a Japanese government-affiliated organization. The South Asian nation is working to establish its own manufacturing hubs but still relies on China for key parts such as electric vehicle components and solar panels. Meanwhile, Japan faces the challenge of diversifying its supply chains, so it hopes to strengthen its economic security by deepening ties with India. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]