New Delhi [India], July 2 : As India and Japan will mark 75 years of their diplomatic relations in 2027, the two governments, in cooperation with their respective stakeholders, will celebrate the next year as the India-Japan Year of Shared Horizons, MEA said in a press release.
According to the MEA, both sides will work together in planning and holding ten commemorative programmes throughout the year and across the nations, with particular participation of the youth of both countries.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "Looking ahead to 2027, which marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two countries, the two sides have agreed to a list of commemorative outcomes and events with a strong focus on youth to celebrate this milestone in a befitting manner. We will celebrate the year 2027 as the India-Japan Year of Shared Horizons. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has also invited Prime Minister Modi to visit Japan next year for the annual summit, and this annual summit will come in the midst of these celebrations."
The week of April 28, 2027, will be designated as the India-Japan Week to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations through coordinated outreach activities.
A logo and theme competition will be launched, inviting the people of both countries to envision the future of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
Building on the growing resonance of Japanese manga, anime and gaming among Indian youth and India's emergence as a major hub for animation, gaming, comics and immersive creative technologies, as per the MEA, IMAGE-75 will be launched to support people-to-people exchanges and promote co-creation in such areas.
The 2nd edition of the Ideathon will be held, with the participation of Japanese and Indian students, with a view to exploring our innovative future by travelling to several cities in India. To generate ideas for the next phase of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership, academics, experts, industry, and youth voices will be brought together to develop policy recommendations for both governments towards a peaceful, prosperous, resilient and sustainable shared future.
In another initiative, RASA-75 will be launched as a year-long India-Japan arts and culture journey celebrating the colours, sounds, movements and living traditions of both countries, bringing together performing, visual and traditional arts practitioners, cultural institutions, and young creators from both countries, the MEA said.
As a Buddhist pilgrimage initiative, a Buddhist delegation from Japan will be invited to India to undertake a spiritual tour of the important Buddhist sites, to highlight the civilisational and spiritual ties between the two countries and promote Buddhist tourism from Japan to India.
SPORT-75 will be launched to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, taking note of India's ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036. Celebrating cricket as an emerging bridge of friendship between the peoples of India and Japan, an India-Japan Friendship Cricket Match will be organised during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 as a curtain-raiser to the 75th anniversary celebrations.
Further, both sides will launch Cricket Kizuna-75, under which two coaches from India will visit Japan to conduct a week-long cricket bootcamp for budding Japanese cricketers, further strengthening youth and sporting exchanges between India and Japan. The India-Japan Sports Week will be held in February 2027, including an Ekiden (a team relay running) event in Delhi-NCR to promote the spirit of India-Japan collaboration in sports.
Building on the Next-Gen State-Prefecture Partnership, Business Connect-75 will be launched to catalyse direct linkages between Indian business clusters and Japanese regional banks and their client enterprises. India-focused roadshows, business roundtables, cluster visits and curated business interactions will be organised with the participation of Japanese regional banks, Indian States, financial institutions, industry bodies and business associations.
Highlighting the long-standing collaboration in science, technology, and innovation between the two nations, special commemorative events under Mirai-Vigyan-75 will be organised to promote India-Japan academic cooperation, including the landmark collaboration on the LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration) Mission, the IIT-H Japan Day and the India-Japan Universities Forum.
Recognising that regional linkages play an important role in deepening economic and people-to-people connections between the two countries, the two governments will further accelerate the promotion of the State-Prefecture partnerships between local governments, facilitate their mutual visits to commemorate the 75th anniversary, and support networking of local governments, including the India-Japan Governors' Network for Friendship and Exchange, the ministry said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "We are very happy that next year we are going to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations. On this important occasion, we will further deepen our mutual connection through culture, tourism and creative economy cooperation."
This comes amid Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi's visit to India from July 1 to 3 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi.