India, Japan review implementation of projects in Northeastern region

India and Japan on Thursday reviewed progress of various ongoing projects in the Northeastern region in areas of connectivity, hydropower, sustainable development and harnessing of water resources, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The review was carried out at the fifth joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum.

The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Japanese Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi, the MEA said.

The AEF reviewed progress of ongoing projects in the North Eastern Region of India in various areas including connectivity, hydropower, sustainable development, harnessing of water resources, and skill development, it said in a statement.It said the two sides discussed several new projects being undertaken under India-Japan bilateral cooperation and also exchanged views on cooperation in new areas such as healthcare, agro-industries bamboo value chain development, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

The AEF provides a platform for India-Japan collaboration in the North Eastern Region under India's 'Act East Policy' and Japan's vision for a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific'.

"The Foreign Secretary and the Japanese Ambassador appreciated the role played by the AEF since its establishment in 2017 in streamlining India-Japan bilateral cooperation for the modernisation of the North Eastern region," the MEA said.