Guwahati Dropped from Japan PM's India Visit Itinerary, Assam Faces Setback

PM Modi and Japan PM

GUWAHATI: Days before Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s likely visit for the India‑Japan summit from July 1 to 3, Guwahati has been dropped from her itinerary, dealing a setback to Assam, which was hoping to leverage the visit to attract investment from Japan and deepen economic ties. The summit between PM Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, which was scheduled to be held in Guwahati, will now be held in Delhi. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said, “Last night, MEA Secretary Vikram Misri called our Chief Secretary and informed that the Japanese PM’s visit to Guwahati will not take place for some reasons and the summit will be confined to New Delhi.” “This is a huge setback for Assam. This would have been a big opportunity for Assam,” Sarma said. Japan is already a key partner in infrastructure and urban development projects in the state. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi that further details about Takaichi’s visit to India will be furnished at an appropriate time. Sarma said, as per the Centre, the Japanese business delegation will visit Assam later “at an appropriate time.” The 50‑member delegation was to be led by Suzuki Motor president Toshihiro Suzuki. “We have not been informed the reasons. It’s not protocol to ask Japan the reasons,” Sarma said, adding that when he travels to New Delhi and meets EAM S Jaishankar, “I can ask him the reasons.” In anticipation of the proposed engagement, Guwahati had witnessed a visible beautification drive in recent days, with road repairs, plantation along major corridors, cleaning of public spaces, and fresh repainting of infrastructure aimed at presenting the city in a more polished and welcoming form. This is the second time a Japanese PM’s visit to the city has been cancelled. In 2019, Japan’s then PM Shinzo Abe was expected to visit Guwahati for a bilateral engagement with Modi, but the visit was called off amid CAA protests. “In 2019 we had prepared to host Japanese PM but could not host,” Sarma said. He added that until the state govt was told the reasons for the change in plan, it could only speculate. “For last one month a Japanese embassy team was in Guwahati. Hotel rooms were readied and even the food for the visiting PM was also detailed. We can only assess the reasons among ourselves now,” he said. Meanwhile, Assam agriculture minister Pijush Hazarika attacked those opposing the proposed investment initiatives linked to the visit. Writing on X, he said, “Stooges sympathetic to the Chinese Deep State along with a lobby of professional protesters want to block Assam’s progress. These criminals want to scare investors by playing with people’s sentiments. This time they won’t be spared, they will not hold Assam hostage. ” Speaking to the media later, Hazarika said the cancellation could impact potential investment opportunities for the state. “A business leaders’ delegation was supposed to accompany the Japanese PM for investment purpose in the state. The semiconductor unit at Jagiroad has been a top interest for Japan. Japan is planning to buy chips from here,” he said, adding, “The CM will not compromise on Assam’s development. ” According to an ANI report from New Delhi, “apart from New Delhi, Guwahati had been considered as a possible venue for the visit and was offered to the Japanese side, given the northeast’s strategic importance in India–Japan economic cooperation. However, the narrow diplomatic window—July 1 to 3—and the visiting PM’s domestic commitments in Japan, where the Diet session is underway until July 17, are understood to have constrained the itinerary. ” Some reports are also doing rounds that the visit was cancelled following traffic chaos in the city last week after a mural of Zubeen Garg on a flyover pillar was erased during the beautification drive. Some reports claimed a Japanese delegation was caught in a traffic jam that lasted for more than three hours.