Guwahati, June 26 — Days after the cancellation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s planned visit to Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that cooperation between the state and Japan remains “firmly on track,” with both sides agreeing to expand collaboration in key sectors. Sarma said he received a phone call on Thursday evening from Japan’s Ambassador to India, H.E. Ono Keiichi, who reaffirmed Tokyo’s commitment to deepen partnership with Assam under India’s Act East Policy.
According to the Chief Minister, the two sides agreed to strengthen ties in electronics, semiconductors, infrastructure, manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Sarma said Assam looks forward to working with Japanese enterprises and institutions to attract investment and create new economic opportunities across the state.
Sarma earlier confirmed that the state government had been informed of a schedule change but was not given a specific reason for the cancellation. Organisers now expect the summit to be held in New Delhi rather than Guwahati. Ahead of the planned visit, the city had undergone extensive beautification work — repainting flyovers, improving roads and landscaping — in preparation to host the Japanese leader and a business delegation.
The visit would have been Takaichi’s first bilateral trip to India as Prime Minister and was seen as a significant diplomatic and economic opportunity for Assam and the wider Northeast under the Act East Policy. The cancellation has triggered a political row in the state, with the opposition and the ruling BJP trading allegations over the reasons for the change in plans.
The development also revived memories of 2019, when then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s planned Assam visit was called off, marking a second occasion on which the state missed hosting a Japanese prime minister despite extensive preparations. Despite the Guwahati leg being cancelled, Friday’s conversation between the Chief Minister and the Ambassador signals that both governments remain committed to advancing economic and strategic cooperation in areas central to Assam’s industrial and investment ambitions.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/assam-japan-partnership-stays-on-course-despite-pm-takaichi-visit-cancellation-1613534
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Publish Date: 2026-06-26 11:40:00
