New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reached Tokyo to attend the state funeral of Japanese ex-Premier Shinzo Abe who was shot dead on July 8 during an election campaign in the western city of Nara. PM Modi will join several global leaders in paying tribute to the longest surviving PM of Japan. Representatives from over 100 countries, including more than 20 heads of state and governments, are expected to attend Abe’s funeral, reported news agency PTI.
A private funeral for Abe was held on July 12, four days after he was shot dead. But for the public commemoration 6,000 guests are scheduled to gather at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan Hall which will include 190 foreign delegates.
“Landed in Tokyo”, PM Modi tweeted after his touchdown with a similar tweet in Japanese as well.
Landed in Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/8L4VNNVOUL
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2022
During a press briefing on Monday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Modi will attend the state funeral ceremony at Budokan, followed by a greeting occasion at Akasaka Palace, besides meeting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Abe’s wife Akie.
“The visit will be an opportunity for PM Modi to honour the memory of former PM Abe, who he considered a dear friend and a great champion of India-Japan ties,” he said.
India had observed a one-day national mourning on July 9, a day after Abe’s death as a mark of respect for him. He was conferred with Padma Vibhushan award in the year 2021.
PM Modi attending the state funeral is also being seen in the light of deepening India-Japan diplomatic ties. During his term as the PM, Abe had reshaped Japan’s foreign policy which included setting out a bold vision for a quantum leap in ties with India.
In the “Confluence of Two Seas” speech, Abe told Indian lawmakers that India-Japan relationship is blessed with the largest potential for development of bilateral relationships anywhere in the world.
Kwatra said Modi and Abe developed a personal bond through their meetings and interactions spanning over a decade, beginning with Modi’s visit to Japan in 2007 as the chief minister of Gujarat.
“PM Abe made significant contributions to deepening India-Japan relations, turning a largely economic relationship into a broad, comprehensive, and strategic partnership, making it pivotal for the two countries’ and region’s security,” Kwatra said.
“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,” he said.
