Japan is showing growing interest in investing in India, said a top Japanese trade official when calling on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday.

According to a press release from the Prime Minister office, Singh met with Osamu Watanabe, chairman and chief executive of the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) here Monday.

The high level of Japanese participation at the India Engineering Trade Fair, to be held from Feb. 13 to 16, is a manifestation of growing Japanese interest in doing business in India, Watanabe said.

Japan is keen to invest in the industrial freight corridor between the Indian capital Delhi and Mumbai, which was announced during Singh's visit to Japan in December last year, he said.

The Mumbai-Delhi industrial corridor will come up alongside a rail freight corridor with Japanese assistance.

Singh reaffirmed India's commitment to increased cooperation between the two countries and said he was looking forward to the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India later this year.