Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Tuesday for the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Modi will join several global leaders to pay tribute to Abe. Representatives from more than 100 countries, including more than 20 heads of state and government, are expected to attend Abe’s funeral on Tuesday.

The former PM has reshaped Japan’s foreign policy, including a bold vision for a leap forward in relations with India. “Landed in Tokyo,” Modi tweeted a photo of him getting off the plane. He also posted a similar tweet in Japanese.

Abe was shot and killed on July 8 while delivering a campaign speech in the southern Japanese city of Nara.
India held a national mourning day on July 9 to show respect for Abe. In a media briefing on Monday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that in addition to meeting PM Fumio Kishida and Abe’s wife Akie, Modi would attend a state funeral at the Budokan, followed by a welcome ceremony at Akasaka Palace.

“This visit will be an opportunity for PM Modi to commemorate former PM Shinzo Abe, whom he regards as a close friend and a great defender of India-Japan relations,” he said.

In his speech on “Confluence of Two Seas”, Abe told Indian lawmakers that India-Japan relations have the greatest potential for the development of bilateral relations in the world.

Modi and Abe have forged a personal bond through more than a decade of meetings and interactions, beginning with Modi’s 2007 visit to Japan as Gujarat’s chief minister, Kwatra said.

“Abe has made a significant contribution to deepening India-Japan relations and transforming the important economic relationship into a broad, comprehensive and strategic partnership vital to the security of the two countries and the region,” Kwatra said. “His famous ‘Confluence of Two Seas’ speech to the Indian Parliament in 2007 laid the groundwork for the Indo-Pacific to become a contemporary political, strategic and economic reality,” he said. Kwatra said Abe’s contribution to India-Japan relations was recognised when he presented him with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan Award in 2021.

“Today, Japan is one of India’s most trusted and valued strategic partners. Both sides are committed to strengthening their bilateral partnership in key areas such as trade and investment, defence and security, climate change, health security, infrastructure, digitalisation, industrial development, energy, critical and emerging technologies, and human resources,” Kwatra said. He said that India and Japan are deeply integrated into the Indo-Pacific region.

“The bilateral meeting between PM Modi and PM Kishida during the upcoming visit will be an opportunity for the two leaders to reaffirm their commitment further to strengthen the India-Japan special strategy and global partnership,” he said. Kishida visited India in March for the annual Summit, and Modi visited Japan in May for a summit of the Quad leaders.

“These meetings underscore the two leaders’ commitment to deepening India-Japan relations, especially in the context of shaping the post-pandemic regional and global order,” Kwatra said.