PM Modi arrives in Tokyo to attend Shinzo Abe’s funeral, meets PM Kishida

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, where he personally conveyed his condolences on the death of  former Premier Shinzo Abe who was assassinated while on the campaign trail in July. 

The Prime Minister spotlighted that India-Japan friendship was of global significance.

Paying his tribute to the late Prime Minister, PM Modi said that “Abe-San took India Japan relations to new heights and expanded its range to several new domains” .

“Our friendship also played a big role in leaving its footprint on the globe,” PM Modi observed.

In his message, the Prime Minister told Kishida that the Indian people remember Abe-San  and also miss the late Premier.

However, PM Modi was confident that under the leadership of Prime Minister Kishida, India-Japan ties will scale new heights and play a meaningful role in resolving world problems.

Ahead of his departure Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said in a media briefing that the trip is an opportunity for PM Modi to honour the memory of his dear friend and the champion of the India-Japan ties.

Kwatra said Abe made significant contributions to deepening India-Japan relations, turning a primarily economic relationship into a broad, comprehensive, and strategic partnership, making it pivotal for the two countries and the region’s security.

“His famous “Confluence of Two Seas” speech in the Indian Parliament in 2007 laid the ground for the emergence of the Indo-Pacific region as a contemporary political, strategic, and economic reality. Abe’s contribution to India-Japan relations was recognized by the conferment upon him of the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2021,” Kwatra said.

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