Prime Minister Narendra Modi starts his Japan visit

In the elegant setting of the Imperial Guest House in Kyoto, Prime Minister Modi sat down with his host, Prime Minister Abe, at a traditional dining table for over one and half hours for an exceptionally warm and friendly conversation over a traditional Japanese meal this evening.

"Their discussion was marked by a great deal of mutual respect and admiration and convergence of views," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Saturday.

The two Prime Ministers spoke about the ancient cultural and religious links between the countries, which were not known widely.

They felt the commencement of Prime Minister Modi’s visit in Kyoto, the old capital city and an important centre of Buddhism, highlighted this important spiritual foundations of India-Japan relations.

They both keenly looked forward to visiting the ancient Toji Temple, which was a symbol of this link, the following morning.

The MoU between Varanasi and Kyoto, signed earlier in the evening in their presence, was yet another reflection of working together to foster cooperation to address contemporary challenges on the strength of their shared heritage.

Modi also mentioned his plan to visit Centre for iPS Cell Research in Kyoto the next morning as part of his desire to seek advanced solutions through stem cell research for health challenges he had seen in India.

Abe spoke with great enthusiasm and strong conviction about India and the importance of India-Japan relations for Japan and the region.

Modi described Japan as one of India’s closest and most important partners and spoke about his own admiration and affinity for Japan and his high hopes from the relationship.

"The discussions covered economic issues, and the opportunities that both countries had to seize the opportunities presented by their respective strong political mandates to inject new momentum and energy in their economies. They spoke with great optimism about a strong and robust future for India-Japan economic partnership. Prime Minister Modi observed that the relationship was far below potential and expressed hope that the two sides would strive to achieve in five years the unrealized potential of five decades," the PMO said in a statement.

Abe expressed confidence that under Modi India’s economic transformation would gather strong momentum.

"An economically resurgent India would, he said, be of great strategic importance to the region and the world, and an inspiration for democratic forces around the world. Prime Minister Modi said that a strong India-Japan partnership was important not just for the economic benefits to the two countries, but even more as a force of good for the region and the world," read the statement.

The two leaders also had an extensive and candid exchange of views on the developments in the region and the world and saw in their remarkable convergence of views a great opportunity to work together for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world.

Modi was deeply touched by Abe’s gesture of hosting him in Kyoto.