Setting the tone for his upcoming Japan visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he sees in it an opportunity to take bilateral ties to a new level.
The PM’s sentiments, expressed in a statement issued on Tuesday evening perhaps best encapsulate the huge expectations that not just India but even Japan will have from the PM’s four day visit beginning on Saturday.
Drawing attention to the significance of his visit to Japan, the PM noted that it will be his first bilateral visit outside the subcontinent. The PM has so far made bilateral visits to Bhutan and Nepal in the immediate neighbourhood and Brazil for the multilateral event Brics since the new government came to power three months ago.
The statement also has a personal touch to it with Mr Modi noting that he is “ particularly excited” about his forthcoming visit to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“ I deeply respect his leadership and enjoy a warm relationship with him from previous meetings,” said the PM. The words come as no surprise given that the two leaders are known to share a good personal rapport and PM Modi is said to be one of three people the Japanese PM he follows on Twitter. This will not be Mr Modi’s first visit to the land of the rising sun.