JAPANESE PRIME Minister Sanae Takaichi will undertake her first official visit to India for the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit next week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday.The Japanese PM will be accompanied by a large business delegation during the three-day visit from July 1 to 3. All the programmes during the visit will be held in New Delhi. Earlier, Guwahati was being considered a possible venue for the visit, but it was later ruled out due to “logistical issues”.On Thursday, Japanese Ambassador Ono Keiichi called Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, reaffirming that the two sides will further strengthen collaboration across key sectors such as electronics, semiconductor and entrepreneurship, Sarma said in a post on X.ExplainedStrategic counter to China’s dominanceIndia-Japan relations provide a strategic and economic counterweight to China's growing dominance in the region. Both nations are core members of the Quad. Bilateral ties have expanded lately, rooted in defence agreements and infrastructure investments.According to a press release issued by the MEA on Friday, Prime Minister Takaichi will visit Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from July 1 to 3, during which she will take part in the annual summit.“The summit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review and strengthen the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the MEA said.Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More