NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tributes to Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe at his state funeral in Tokyo on Tuesday. Modi will also have a personal meeting with Abe’s wife, Akie Abe, to offer his condolences. Modi, during his 12-hour stay in Tokyo, will also meet Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“Bilateral talks will take place between PM Modi and PM Kishida on a range of issues,’’ Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, adding that representatives of over 100 countries, including 20 heads of state, will attend the funeral.
Modi considered Abe a friend and a champion of India-Japan relationship. The two had also developed a personal bond through their various meetings. “PM Modi’s interactions with former PM Abe began with his visit to Japan in 2007 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. The two leaders made enormous contributions and were singularly responsible for elevating India-Japan relations to the status of Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014,’’ Kwatra said.
Abe was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 2021. US Vice President Kamala Harris is also in Tokyo and has had a meeting with Kishida. However, there is no bilateral meeting lined up between Modi and Harris. Modi had earlier visited Japan for the Quad leaders’ summit in May, when he also held a bilateral meet with Kishida. The Japa PM also came to India for the India-Japan Summit in March this year.
“These meetings have underscored the two leaders’ continuing commitment towards further deepening India-Japan ties. This year marks the 70th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relationship,’’ Kwatra added. India and Japan are committed to strengthening partnership in key areas that include trade and investment, defence and security, climate change, health security, infrastructure, digital space, industrial development, energy, and critical and emerging technologies.