India & Japan boost cooperation in green hydrogen and semiconductors The discussions took place during the G7 summit in Hiroshima Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida engaged in talks aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in the fields of green hydrogen, high technology, semiconductors, and digital public infrastructure. The discussions took place during the G7 summit in Hiroshima, where both leaders explored opportunities to synergize efforts in addressing global challenges under India's G20 presidency and Japan's leadership of the G7 advanced economies. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) highlighted that the leaders exchanged views on a wide range of topics, including development finance, food security, climate change, and energy. They also focused on aligning their G20 and G7 presidencies and emphasized the importance of addressing the concerns and priorities of the Global South. During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi tweeted about the excellent nature of their discussions, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of India-Japan relations and their joint commitment to improving the planet through their G20 and G7 presidencies. The MEA statement further revealed that the leaders deliberated on deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, counterterrorism efforts, and United Nations reform. They agreed to strengthen the bilateral Special Strategic and Global Partnership, with discussions encompassing education, skill development, tourism, Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), green hydrogen, high technology, semiconductors, and digital public infrastructure. This meeting marked the second interaction between Modi and Kishida this year, following Kishida's visit to India in March. The Japanese readout also acknowledged the growing defense exchanges between the two nations since the Japan-India '2+2' defense and foreign ministerial dialogue in September of the previous year. Both leaders expressed their commitment to collaborate on various international issues in the run-up to the G7 and G20 summits. They welcomed the progress made in achieving the 5-trillion-yen target of public and private investment and financing from Japan to India within the next five years, as set in March last year. Furthermore, they celebrated the signing of a 300-billion-yen loan agreement for the high-speed rail project and reaffirmed their dedication to promoting its successful implementation.