Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and India's Narendra Modi have said that there should be "zero tolerance" on terrorism. The two countries resolved to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups including al-Qaeda, Isis, Jaish-e-Muhammed, Lashkar-e-Toiba and their affiliates.

Sending a strong message to Pakistan, a joint statement issued by the two leaders on Thursday (14 September) urged Islamabad to punish those involved in the Mumbai (2008) and Pathankot (2016) terror attacks.

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Abe and Modi also laid the foundation for a 508km-long bullet train project between India's financial hub Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India.

Abe, who was in India on a two-day visit, was given a warm welcome. Modi mounted an elaborate road show in his home state of Gujarat for the visiting Japanese prime minister.

The highlight of Abe's visit is the $17bn bullet train project, India's first. As much as 81% of the project, which is expected to become operational by 2022, will be funded by Japan. "Although the technology for bullet trains is from Japan, the train will be assembled in India. If technology is used to empower the poor we can win the fight against poverty," said Modi. "We are honoured to have a friend like Japan, who is charging us only 0.1% interest for the loan that we have to repay only in 50 years."

The project is expected to give a major boost to infrastructure industries in India, and provide jobs to at least 20,000 people.

Modi also recalled the India-Japan partnership in fighting climate change.

Underscoring the Indo-Japan partnership in the wake of increasingly difficult relations with countries like China and Pakistan, Abe said: "A strong India is good for Japan and a strong Japan is good for India."

Shinzo Abe