Love in Tokyo: After warm-up, Modi, Abe to talk business today

During his three-day stay in the capital city, Modi is scheduled to hold talks with Abe on Monday to bolster bilateral security and economic ties. The two leaders, who share cordial relations, will have substantive summit meeting during in which they will look at ways to take the strategic and global partnership forward.

Cooperation in the fields of defence, civil nuclear sector, infrastructure development and mining rare earth materials is expected to top the agenda of the discussions.

Abe had specially come to Kyoto from Tokyo to meet Modi and be with him. The Japanese Prime Minister rarely greet a foreign leader outside the national capital. Modi has said that he and Abe were very optimistic about scripting a new chapter in the history of strong bond between the two countries. In a series of tweets on Saturday night , Modi thanked Abe for the wonderful welcome that was given to the Indian delegation in Kyoto. ‘Both of us are very optimistic about scripting a new chapter in the strong bond between India & Japan, which will benefit our nations,’ tweeted Modi.

‘I am keenly looking forward to my visit to Japan at the invitation of my good friend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for the annual summit between India and Japan,’ Modi said in his pre-departure statement.

During his two-day stay in Kyoto, Modi witnessed signing of a pact under which his constituency Varanasi will be developed as a smart city in partnership with the Japanese city, which is a confluence of heritage and modernity. Abe had specially come to Kyoto from Tokyo to meet Modi and be with him.  ‘It was gladdening to witness the signing of MoU between Varanasi & Kyoto. Its yet another instance of furthering India-Japan cooperation,’ Modi had tweeted. ‘Over dinner, we discussed various issues ranging from the deep cultural links between India & Japan to strengthening our ties,’ he added. 

On the second day of his Japan tour, Modi on Sunday offered prayers at two prominent ancient Buddhist temples in Kyoto and sought help from a Japanese Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher to develop a treatment for sickle cell anaemia.