Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's two-day India visit begins today

New Delhi: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is arriving India on a two-day official visit from Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will lay the foundation stone for India's first bullet train project, connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad, in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The Bullet Train project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is estimated to cost Rs 98,000 crore. Of the 508 km route, 27 km will have a tunnel which will pass through under the sea near Thane for seven kilometre, making it India's first underwater rail route.

The high-speed rail which will run at a speed of 320 kmph will have 12 stations between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, ahead of the visit, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday set an ambitious target of advancing the deadline for building India's first bullet train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai by a year. He said that the bullet train technology would "revolutionise and transform the transport sector". He added that the fare of the high-speed bullet train would be "affordable for all".

PM Modi and Abe will review the recent progress in the multifaceted cooperation between India and Japan and will set its future direction too.

Metro, Buddhism, business, technology and innovation are key pillars of India-Japan relations and now comes Bullet Trains. India and Japan — Asia's two vibrant democracies and leading economies — are matching their steps perfectly. There have been 9 meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in last three years and another is scheduled in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

There are a few things which are common between the two. The two leaders are not only influential personalities but they also enjoy huge public support. They are big admirers of each other. Last year, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan, Shinzo Abe travelled on bullet train with him. In 2014, Shinzo Abe had come to Kyoto to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit. In 2015, during Abe's visit to India, PM Modi had taken him to Varanasi and showed him Ganga Aarti on Dashashwamedha Ghat.

The First Lady of Japan, Akie Abe will be inaugurating 'Origami Mahotsav' on Thursday in Ahmedabad. The Origami Mahotsav', an exhibition of Japanese paper-folding art, is being organised by Indo-Japan Friendship Association, Gujarat. Prime Minister Modi and PM Abe both believe immensely in economic reforms and both are considered to be motivating force. Now all eyes are on 12th India-Japan annual summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

On the occasion of 12th India-Japan Annual Dialogue Prime Minister Modi will take Prime Minister Abe and his wife to Sabarmati Ashram, home of the iconic Mahatma Gandhi after the summit.

There is a report suggesting that both the PM will have a roadshow in Ahemdabad. Later, both the PM will visit a historically famous Sidi Syeed Mosque.