Tokyo, Aug 29 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail is a flagship project between India and Japan, and "we are aiming to have the passenger services start in a few years' time".

Modi said that while the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is on its way, "we have unveiled a bigger ambition: to have a 7,000-kilometre-long network of high-speed rail in our country".

In an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun published during his ongoing visit to Japan, Modi said much of it will have to be through Make in India, so that the programme is sustainable and viable.

"I welcome active participation by Japanese companies in this endeavour," he said.

"The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is a flagship project between India and Japan. We are aiming to have the passenger services start in a few years’ time," the prime minister said.

There is also potential to expand India-Japan cooperation beyond high-speed rail to cover other areas of mobility, including sectors such as ports, aviation, shipbuilding, road transport, railways and logistics, where India has launched ambitious initiatives, Modi said.

Clearly, Japan's technological edge in many of these areas, together with India’s scale, manufacturing and innovation power, can create enormous value for both sides, Modi told the Japanese newspaper.

Asked about India's expansive vision for space exploration, Modi said India’s space journey is a story of determination, hard work and innovation of our scientists.

"From Chandrayaan-3’s historic landing on the moon’s south pole to our advances in interplanetary missions, India has consistently demonstrated that space is not the final frontier, it is the next frontier. I am glad that India and Japan are joining hands for the next edition of the Chandrayaan series or the LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration) mission," he said.

This will contribute to deepening our understanding of the permanently shadowed regions at the lunar south pole, the prime minister said.

"Our G2G collaboration in the space sector, between ISRO and JAXA, is fostering a culture of cooperation between our industries and startups. This is creating an ecosystem where innovation flows both ways — from labs to launch pads, and from research to real-world applications," Modi said.

The impact of space science is linked to progress in our daily lives, from agriculture, disaster management, to communications and beyond, he said.

"I am confident that our scientific teams will be working together to push the boundaries of space science. And, our partnership in space will not only expand horizons above us, but also improve lives around us," he said.

Modi further said that collaboration in the defence sector between India and Japan has been a strong success story, with both countries having a shared interest in peace, security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

"Today, our partnership spans across all three services. We conduct regular bilateral and multilateral exercises. We are building a robust Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation, and working on co-development and co-production of UNICORN masts for our Navy," he said.

"In recent years, Indian defence products are rapidly expanding their global footprint. Japan also has a proven record in the field of defence technology. Together, with political trust and natural complementarities, we can design and produce next-generation defence platforms not just for ourselves, but also for the world," he said.

In the interview, Modi also noted that economic partnership is one of the key pillars of India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

"As the world’s leading economies, we have been contributing to each other’s growth, competitiveness and dynamism. Japan has been a trusted partner in India’s infrastructure development across generations. Japan has also been a leading source of Foreign Direct Investment for India in key sectors including automobiles, electronics, telecom, chemicals, finance and pharmaceuticals," he said.

Modi pointed out that the number of Japanese firms in India has grown steadily to around 1,500, while more than 400 Indian companies operate in Japan.

Clearly, this is only the beginning — the real potential is much higher, he added.

"We must aim bigger and remain ambitious. The synergies across governments, businesses and people can create scale and speed in our economic partnership. We maintain important trade relations, but it has not yet reached the levels envisaged under our CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement)," Modi said.

"I am confident that with renewed efforts, we can diversify our trade basket, make it more balanced and open up new frontiers as well," he said.

Noting that the 20th century saw Japan emerge as a major partner in India’s infrastructure development, Modi expressed confidence that the 21st century will see Japan as a major partner in India’s innovation, manufacturing, and global value chains.

On reports that some Japanese companies are positioning their production bases in India as hubs for third-country markets such as Africa, Modi said India has seen multi-faceted reforms which make manufacturing in India easier than ever before.

"We have removed compliance burdens, rolled out incentives and ensured a large skilled workforce for companies to set base in India. Many global companies, including from Japan, are setting up their production in India not only to cater to our domestic market, but also for the world," the prime minister said. PTI ASK ZH