Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his two-day visit to Japan on Saturday, August 30, 2025, with a strong emphasis on strengthening ties at the state and prefecture level to boost trade, technology, and cultural exchange between the two nations. Modi met with 16 Governors from various Japanese prefectures in Tokyo, urging them to participate in India's growth story.

Modi highlighted the deep-rooted civilizational connections between India and Japan, noting that contemporary ties have flourished across various domains. He emphasized that the time has come to expand cooperation beyond the central governments and capital cities, such as Tokyo and Delhi. To this end, he promoted the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative, launched during the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, which aims to boost trade, technology, tourism, skills, security, and cultural linkages.

The Prime Minister urged both the Japanese Governors and Indian State governments to leverage this initiative and forge partnerships in key sectors such as manufacturing, technology, innovation, mobility, next-generation infrastructure, start-ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He pointed out that each Japanese prefecture possesses unique economic and technological strengths, just as Indian states have diverse capabilities, creating vast potential for collaboration. Modi specifically invited the Governors to contribute towards youth and skills exchange programs, combining Japanese technology with Indian talent.

The Governors, in turn, acknowledged that sub-national cooperation is crucial for elevating business, educational, cultural, and people-to-people ties between India and Japan.

In a tangible demonstration of the growing technological collaboration, Modi, accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba, visited the Tokyo Electron Miyagi Ltd (TEL Miyagi) in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. TEL Miyagi is a major manufacturer of semiconductor production equipment. The two leaders reviewed the company's role in the global semiconductor supply chain, its advanced manufacturing expertise, and its ongoing collaborations with India. This visit underscored the complementarity between India's expanding semiconductor ecosystem and Japan's strengths in advanced chip equipment and technology. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation under the Japan-India Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership, aiming to fortify both nations' roles in the global tech ecosystem.

Modi emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between India and Japan in the semiconductor sector, highlighting the long history of collaboration and the potential to reach new heights in technology and innovation. The visit to TEL Miyagi served as a practical example of the potential for collaboration in semiconductor fabrication, testing, and supply chain development.

Following the Japan visit, Modi traveled to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.