Key Points

In the lead-up to his arrival, the Indian community in Tokyo came together to celebrate with a vibrant performance of the iconic Bollywood song 'Jai Ho', originally composed by AR Rahman for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire.

Sunil Soni, a member of the Indian community in Japan, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "As an India, I feel very happy that PM Modi is visiting here... This will strengthen the India-Japan relationship... Modi Ji is on a world tour to make India's dream come true, and we are very happy for this... We are ready to welcome him. This is a moment of pride for us..."

He added that the community is planning a grand welcome for the Prime Minister, which will include flower garlands and the Indian tricolour. "We are planning to welcome the whole community with flower garlands and the tricolour... There will be n gaps in PM Modi's welcome," he said.

A woman from the diaspora, who has been living in Japan for 17 years, also shared her admiration for the Prime Minister. "There are no words to express our gratitude for Modi ji, who has developed India in so many ways. He has promised the people of our country that he will make their dreams a reality, and he has consistently delivered on those promises. We have seen him turn our dreams into reality, and now we are ready to welcome him again."

"Welcome, Modi ji! When you arrive, our hearts swell with pride, and our spirits soar. Your presence ignites a sense of excitement and enthusiasm within us," she added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a two-day visit to Japan today, for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba, during which the two leaders will focus on further bolstering ties between the two countries.

At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, PM Modi will visit Japan from August 29 to 30, and then depart for China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

During the summit, both Prime Ministers will conduct an in-depth review of their ties, take stock of progress over the last few years across multiple domains, and, as usual, exchange views on regional and global issues of importance.

The summit will be an opportunity to launch several new initiatives in order to build greater resilience in the relationship and to respond to emerging opportunities and challenges. The program includes a visit outside Tokyo, which will again be something to look forward to for the two leaders.

The visit also includes interactions of PM Modi with several other political leaders from Japan, as well as with Friends of India in Japan. PM Modi will also participate in a business leaders' forum with captains of the Japanese and Indian industry. These interactions are aimed at deepening the very important trade, investment and technology relationship between the two countries.

This visit marks PM Modi's first standalone trip to Japan in nearly seven years, and his first annual summit with Prime Minister Ishiba.

- ANI