With 2007 being considered for designation as Japan-Indian Friendship Year, India and Japan are planning to boost their bilateral relations to realize its “full potential” by enhancing “strategic orientation” of their “global partnership.”

Disclosing meetings with new Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan explained that the bilateral relations are set to boom across trade and economy to defense and security. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to visit Japan later this year and the expectation is that it will be a landmark bilateral event.

India and Japan have worked together in the G-4 grouping lobbying for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. While that grouping was unsuccessful, India hopes that it can get Japan’s support in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.