Japan PM to Host Indian Counterpart at his Lake House Signalling Strong Chemistry

Modi will pay a two-day visit to Japan from October 28-29 to hold the annual India-Japan summit with Abe.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to make special arrangements to host the Indian PM during the October 28-29 annual bilateral summit, including visit at his Lake House, to reaffirm their personal bond and reciprocate Narendra Modi’s hospitality in Ahmedabad during last year’s summit.

“The Japanese PM is planning a very personal arrangement,” said a person aware of the matter.

This will be Modi’s third visit to Japan for the annual summit, after the ones in 2014 and 2016, and the two leaders have met on several occasions on the sidelines of various international summits. Abe travelled to India in 2015 and 2017 for the annual summits.

During the 2017 summit, Modi had hosted Abe in Ahmedabad and organised a roadshow along with visits to several historical sites in the city. A traditional Gujarati dinner was arranged for Abe and his spouse on the occasion, as Modi hosted the Japanese PM and his wife at Ahmedabad’s Agashiye terrace restaurant. The restaurant, known for its splendid view and kosher Gujarati cuisine, prepared a vegetarian thali for the special guests. The spread included more than 30 items.

Modi’s personal touch to diplomacy has been reciprocated during his travels to various countries. Earlier this year Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the Indian PM at the famous State House by the Yangtze river in Wuhan for an informal summit. The two leaders also went on a boat ride on the East Lake.

Earlier, Modi visited the Martin Luther King Jr memorial in Washington together with then US President Barack Obama and shared a boat trip on the river Seine in Paris with then French President Francois Hollande. Recently his boat ride in Sochi during an informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin permitted for a fruitful exchange of views on issues of national concern in a relaxed atmosphere free from protocol.

The agenda for the upcoming summit includes defence pacts and collaboration for connectivity projects in the Indo-Pacific region. Modi and Abe are expected to launch “a concrete infrastructure project implemented together” in South Asia, said the person, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“A strong India is in Japan’s best interest and for that, we must provide even more support,” said Japan’s ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu. He said the two countries have an understanding to carry out joint connectivity and infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific area including in India’s north-eastern and eastern neighbourhood.

Source:ET

Image Courtesy: PT