External affairs minister Salman Khurshid will be visiting Japan next week.

The officials will also discuss the agenda and possible deliverables during the Summit-level meeting. India is hoping for some Japanese investment and projects to flow towards India,especially in the field of rare earth metals,due to Tokyo’s tension with Beijing.

According to officials, Abe had set India-Japan ties on the high road when he was Prime Minister five years back. India-Japan ties are expected to be further enhanced and expand due to Abe’s ideological orientation — he wants to revise Japan’s Constitution by designating the defence forces as military and enhanced defence ties with nations,including India that have nothing against Japan.

The last such revision took place two years back,around the time India agreed to hold a 2 + 2 dialogue involving Defence and Foreign Secretaries from both countries. Ironically,the removal of some Indian companies from the Japanese export control list benefited Tokyo more during its time of need.

Indian Rare Earths Limited,which was on Japan’s export control list but was removed in 2010,has come to the rescue of Japan’s automobile industry by promising to supply the mineral. China had refused to supply rare earth materials.

Besides,a stronger relationship with Japan is important for India’s Look East policy and it will help India to tackle China,which is currently engaged in a bitter duel with Japan.