GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday, June 23, said that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not visit Assam during her upcoming trip to India, effectively ending speculation over the possibility of Guwahati hosting the annual India-Japan Summit.
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The clarification comes amid reports that the summit, which was earlier being considered for Guwahati, is now likely to be held in New Delhi.
Speaking to reporters, Sarma said the Japanese Prime Minister's itinerary does not include Assam this time. Takaichi is expected to visit India between July 1 and 3 for high-level engagements with the Indian leadership.
According to reports, both India and Japan are leaning towards a Delhi-only programme due to the limited duration of Takaichi's visit and her domestic commitments, including the ongoing session of Japan's Parliament.
The development means Guwahati is unlikely to host the much-anticipated summit, despite earlier discussions around the Assam capital as a possible venue.
Notably, this is not the first time plans to hold the India-Japan Summit in Assam have fallen through. In 2019, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was scheduled to visit Guwahati for the summit, but the event was called off amid widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
Japan remains a key development partner for Northeast India through the Act East Forum, a dedicated mechanism focused on connectivity and infrastructure projects in the region. The country has extended significant development assistance for projects across the Northeast over the years.
Despite the likely venue change, India-Japan ties continue to deepen. During their last summit in Tokyo in 2025, the two countries adopted a roadmap to expand cooperation in areas such as technology, digitalisation, rare earth minerals and investment over the next decade.
