PM Modi meets three former Japanese counterparts while in Tokyo for QUAD summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met three former Japanese Prime Ministers - Yoshihide Suga, Shinzo Abe and Yoshiro Mori - on May 24 while in Tokyo for the QUAD summit. PM Modi, who enjoys a good rapport with his previous Japanese counterparts, also invited Yoshihide Suga to join the Ganeshotsav celebrations in India later this year.

Suga, who was Japan's Prime Minister from September 2020 to September 2021, is a member of the 'Ganesha' group, a group of 15 Liberal Democratic Party MPs named after the Hindu god regarded as a remover of barriers. The members of this group share three characteristics: they are first-generation legislators, have served four or fewer terms in the Lower House, and are not affiliated with any political party.

Among the former Japanese PMs, Modi shared a particularly close friendship with Shinzo Abe, the country's longest-serving leader, who served from December 2012 to September 2016. During Abe's December 2015 visit to India, the two leaders held summit talks in New Delhi, followed by a journey to Varanasi, the Indian PM's parliamentary seat, where they performed the Ganga aarti.

When PM Modi visited Japan in October 2018, Abe returned the favour with a diplomatic charm blitz. While Yoshiro Mori's term as Japan's prime minister from 2000-2001 did not coincide with PM Modi's, the two leaders did meet in 2016 during the Indian PM's visit to Japan.

PM Modi pens Op-Ed on India-Japan ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his tour to Japan on May 23 by writing an op-ed piece for the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. The Prime Minister discussed the two countries' links in his op-ed, citing examples of how Japanese culture affected Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. He also gave examples of how India has helped to enhance connections between the two countries.

The op-ed written by PM Modi for Yomiuri Shimbun, titled 'India-Japan: A Partnership for Peace, Stability, and Prosperity,' states that India and Japan share deep views in democracy, freedom, and a rules-based international order. Modi tweeted on May 23, "Penned an op-ed on the vibrant relations between India and Japan. Ours is a partnership for peace, stability and prosperity. I trace the journey of our special friendship which completes 70 glorious years."