Japan PM's Proposed Guwahati Visit Cancelled, Summit Likely in Delhi

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's proposed visit to Guwahati next month has been cancelled, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday following a meeting of the State Cabinet.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma said the Assam government had been informed that the Japanese Prime Minister would not be visiting the state and that the India-Japan summit is now likely to be held in New Delhi. He said no reason had been communicated to the state government for the change in plans.

The proposed visit had generated considerable interest in Assam after Sarma stated in a post on X on June 10 that there was a possibility of Takaichi visiting Guwahati on July 1 for summit-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Japanese media had also reported on the proposed visit. On June 4, Tokyo-based broadcaster TV Asahi reported that Takaichi was being scheduled to visit India in early July and that Japan and India were considering holding summit talks in Assam. The report said the leaders were expected to discuss economic and security cooperation, while noting that a final decision would depend on the schedule of Japan's Diet (Parliament) and other international commitments.

Similarly, Japanese news agency Jiji Press reported that the visit to India was under consideration but had not yet been finalized by the Japanese government.

Following reports of the cancellation, social media platforms saw widespread speculation linking the decision to traffic disruptions in Guwahati on June 18 during the controversy surrounding the repainting of singer Zubeen Garg's mural beneath the Ganeshguri flyover. Some local reports claimed that members of a visiting Japanese delegation were caught in the resulting traffic congestion. However, neither the Indian nor Japanese authorities have publicly linked the cancellation to the incident.

Neither the Japanese Prime Minister's Office nor the Embassy of Japan in India has publicly issued a statement explaining the cancellation of the proposed Guwahati leg of the visit.