GUWAHATI: Plans to hold the annual India-Japan Summit in Guwahati have reportedly been shelved, with the high-level meeting now expected to take place in New Delhi during Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's maiden visit to India next month, as per reports on Tuesday, June 23.
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According to reports, the decision was driven by a combination of scheduling constraints and logistical challenges. Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to visit India between July 1 and 3 and is working within a limited timeframe due to domestic commitments, including the ongoing session of Japan's Parliament, known as the Diet.
Sources familiar with the matter told media outlets that both India and Japan are now leaning towards a Delhi-only programme, given the limited time available and the complexities involved in travel outside the national capital.
The development comes as a setback for Assam, which had been under consideration as the venue for the annual summit. Japan has maintained a special focus on Northeast India through the Act East Forum, a dedicated mechanism jointly led by India's Foreign Secretary and the Japanese Ambassador.
Tokyo remains the only foreign partner with an exclusive framework focused on the development of the Northeastern region and has provided more than ₹1,600 crore in overseas development assistance for projects across the region, excluding Arunachal Pradesh.
Notably, this is not the first time plans to host the summit in Assam have been disrupted. The annual India-Japan Summit was originally scheduled to take place in Guwahati in December 2019 during the visit of then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. However, the event was called off amid widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) across Assam.
Despite the venue change, India-Japan ties continue to deepen. During their last summit in Tokyo in 2025, the two countries set a target of attracting 10 trillion yen (approximately $68 billion) in private Japanese investment into India over the next decade. They also adopted a 10-year roadmap aimed at expanding cooperation in areas such as technology, digitalisation and rare earth minerals.
