The following is the gist of a joint statement issued Thursday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi held talks in Gandhinagar, India.

Japan and India:

-- call on international community to maximize pressure on North Korea and implement U.N. sanctions.

-- agree to jointly develop defense equipment and conduct trilateral maritime drills involving U.S.

-- will discuss exports of Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's US-2 amphibious aircraft for search and rescue purposes to India.

-- confirm importance of freedom of navigation in sea based on international law.

-- agree to cooperate in opening Japanese language courses at 100 higher education facilities in India and training 1,000 teachers.

 

Japan:

-- pledges to provide some 190 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in low-interest loans for a new high-speed railway and other infrastructure projects in India.

-- hopes India will adopt Japanese technology for other high-speed railway systems in the country.