Assam set to miss hosting Japanese PM for second time

Guwahati: Assam is twice likely to miss the opportunity of hosting the Prime minister of Japan. Prime minister Sanae Takaichi was likely to visit Assam from July 1 to hold summit level talks with Prime minister Narendra Modi in Guwahati.

Assam had earlier missed out on hoisting the Japanese Prime minister in 2019 following the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest.

The annual India-Japan summit will now be held during her visit to New Delhi. Takaichi is also expected to be accompanied by a delegation composed of several leading Japanese businesspersons. The Japanese PM is likely to travel between 1 and 3 July for her maiden visit to India.


Sources said that Guwahati was being readied as a venue for the possible visit. The city was given a makeover last one month. “However Japanese Prime minister has a tight schedule and domestic commitments as an ongoing session of the Diet (Japanese Parliament). In view of this and the additional logistical issues connected to a visit outside the capital; the visit is now likely to be held in Delhi.”

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated in X on June 9, “There is a possibility of Hon'ble Prime Minister of Japan, H. E Sanae Takaichi visiting Guwahati from 1st July to hold Summit Level talks with Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri@narendramodi ji in Guwahati.”

Japan’s overseas investment in Northeast India is spread across large scale infrastructure projects, improvement of health system, a water supply project for Guwahati and construction of bridges.

Sources in the state government, "linked the suspected cancellation to the recent controversy surrounding the removal of a mural of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg from a pillar of the Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha Flyover at Ganeshguri on July 1 during the ongoing beautification drive. There was protest for some hours and later the mural was restored. The Japanese delegation which had come to assess the situation was stuck up in traffic congestion for two hours."

Leader of Opposition and Congress legislator, Wajid Ali Choudhury said there is no basis to suggest that the protest over removal of the mural had influenced the reported decision. “I do not believe the mural protest is the reason behind the possible cancellation of the Japanese Prime Minister's visit. The mural was repainted and the situation did not escalate. There could be other reasons.”

Choudhury said,” The political exchange comes against the backdrop of a controversy that erupted on June 18 after a mural of Garg was removed during a city beautification drive undertaken ahead of the proposed visit. The mural was later restored following widespread criticism”.

Missing out on Japanese investment owing to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest in 2019, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is in Japan in 2025, had proposed to set up an industrial park in Guwahati dedicated to Japanese companies.

Assam is trying to rope in Japanese industries and firms once again. Following the protest, the CAA, the annual Japan-India summit that was scheduled to be held in Guwahati between December 15-17 in 2019 was postponed.

Assam witnessed bitter protests in 2019 and early 2020 when the Citizenship Amendment Act — which aims to make minority communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible to apply for Indian citizenship — was passed by Parliament. Five people were killed in the protests. There was a large-scale violence curfew for several days.

Zubeen Garg passed away in Singapore on September 19 last year, leaving fans across the region in shock. There were protests and demands seeking justice for Garg.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Assam government on a bail application filed by event organiser Shyam Kanu Mahanta, accused in the alleged murder and cheating case linked to the death of Zubeen Garg during a yacht trip in Singapore in September 2025.