New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday invited the Indian community in Japan to join and take forward the campaign of Bharat Chalo, Bharat Se Judo (come to India, join India).

He also met the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees in Japan

Addressing over 700 members of the Indian diaspora in Tokyo, the Prime Minister appreciated the Indian community members for their skill, talent and entrepreneurship and their connect with the motherland.

Invoking Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore, Modi underlined the deep cultural ties that exist between India and Japan.

Highlighting the various socio-economic developments and reform initiatives taken in India in recent years, he said that these reforms have been taken particularly in the domains of infrastructure, governance, green growth, and digital revolution.

Before the event, Modi met Japanese indologists, sportspersons, and cultural artistes who are contributing to promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges between India and Japan.

He also met the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees in Japan.

The Indian diaspora in Japan is estimated to be over 40,000.

Earlier, the visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday participated in an event in Tokyo to launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).

The event was also attended by US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as well as the virtually by leaders of Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The IPEF seeks to strengthen economic partnership amongst participating countries with the objective of enhancing resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

At the occasion, a joint statement was issued which highlights the key elements envisaged within the IPEF.

In his comments during the launch ceremony, Modi said thatthe IPEF is a declaration of a collective desire to make the Indo-Pacific region an engine of global economic growth.

“India has historically been at the centre of trade flows in the Indo-Pacific region, having the world’s oldest commercial port at Lohtal in Gujarat,” the Prime Minister said.

He further called for finding common and creative solutions to tackle economic challenges of the Indo-Pacific region.

Expressing India’s commitment towards working with all Indo-Pacific countries for an IPEF which is both inclusive and flexible, he further said that the foundation of resilient supply chains must be 3T’s: Trust, Transparency and Timeliness.

Noting that India is committed to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and believes that deepening economic engagement among partners is crucial for continued growth, peace, and prosperity, Modi also said that India is keen to collaborate with partner countries under the IPEF and work towards advancing regional economic connectivity, integration and boosting trade and investment within the region.

With Monday’s launch, partner countries will begin discussions focusing on strengthening economic cooperation and achieving shared goals, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Modi arrived in Tokyo on Monday morning on a two-day visit at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart.

He will participate in the third Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo on Tuesday along with President Biden, Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Modi and Kishida will also hold a bilateral meeting on Tuesday.