New Delhi, July 1 -- India and Japan are set to advance plans for a local-currency settlement framework that would allow direct yen-rupee transactions for bilateral trade and reduce reliance on the US dollar, according to a Nikkei Asia report ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to New Delhi today.

The proposal might as well be included in the Joint Statement to be issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Takaichi meet for the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit during the official trip, Nikkei reported.

This would be the first-time currency cooperation has been formally incorporated into a leaders' joint statement between the two countries, Nikkei reported.

Prime Minister Takaichi will begin...