Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Japan on September 27 to attend the State Funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was assassinated while giving a speech in the city of Nara on July 8.

Abe, a visionary leader and statesman who worked tirelessly for the betterment of humanity, played a formative role in the founding of the Quad partnership, and worked tirelessly to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

During his visit to India in August 2007 as Prime Minister, Abe delivered his famous “The Confluence of Two Seas” speech in the Indian Parliament, in which he stated that India-Japan relationship is blessed with the largest potential for development of bilateral relationship anywhere in the world.

His efforts have been instrumental in bringing the two nations together and elevated the India-Japan relationship to the level of a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. A large number of milestone projects between India and Japan were initiated during his tenure as the Prime Minister of Japan. The awarding of India’s second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, to Abe was testament to the respect and warmth that he enjoyed in India.

India had also observed a one-day national mourning on July 9 to condole the untimely demise of the former Prime Minister of Japan.

During his visit, Prime Minister Modi will also separately meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

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