Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio, interacted with members of the Indian community and unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima earlier today.
Modi arrived in Hiroshima yesterday on the first leg of his three-nation trip to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia.
During his meeting with the Japanese prime minister, the twoi discussed ways to enhance India-Japan friendship across different sectors including trade, economy and culture.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, in a tweet, said, "PM Narendra Modi and PM Fumio Kishida of Japan held warm and productive talks."
He also had a bilateral meeting with the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol. The talks focused on ways to further cement the two nations' friendship in key developmental sectors.
Modi is in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 primarily for the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies in which he is expected to speak on challenges facing the globe, including food, fertiliser and energy security.
He is expected to hold bilateral meetings with some of the world leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Modi unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima to promote peace and non-violence, according to an official statement.
“I want to thank the Japanese government for placing the bust of Mahatma Gandhi here in Hiroshima and giving me the opportunity to unveil it. We should all follow the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and walk on the path of the welfare of the world,” Modi said.
Matsui Kazumi, Mayor of Hiroshima, at the unveiling said that Gandhi’s ideals and commitment to non-violence resonates with the residents of the Japanese city, which had been the target of US’ nuclear bombardment during World War 2, with over 100,000 killed.