Prime Minister Naoto Kan and visiting Indian leader Manmohan Singh officially agreed Monday in Tokyo to activate an economic partnership agreement as soon as possible and to speed up talks on civilian nuclear cooperation.
The deal to strengthen economic ties between Japan and India, a fast-growing democratic nation with a population of 1.2 billion, comes at a time when Asian nations are becoming increasingly concerned about China's activities in the East China and South China seas.
"We were able to confirm and believe firmly in the deepening of the strategic global partnership between Japan and India," Kan said at a news conference after the summit. "We also confirmed that we will strengthen cooperation in the field of our security and economy."