New Delhi, Aug. 14 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi as his "choti behen" during the latter's recent visit to India reflects the genuine friendship and mutual trust underpinning India-Japan relations, Japanese Ambassador to India Keiichi Ono said on Thursday, underlining the importance of people-to-people exchanges in taking the bilateral partnership forward.

Speaking at the India-Japan Stakeholder Consultation on Skill Development: Shaping the Next Chapter of Bilateral Human Resource Cooperation, Ono said closer interaction between the people of the two countries would remain central to the "new and golden chapter" in India-Japan ties, noting that there has never been a more important time t...