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On October 29, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit meeting and other events with H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
The two leaders attended a salute and guard of honor ceremony, followed by a summit meeting. Afterwards, with a ceremony for signing and exchange of documents and a joint press announcement being held, the leaders signed the Japan-India Vision Statement and Factsheet.
 
Lastly, the Prime Minister hosted a banquet at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence and said in his address,
 
“Namaste. I have just learned from Prime Minister Modi that the word ‘namaste’ has a much deeper meaning than ‘hello.’ I encourage everyone who is interested in it to later ask about the meaning to those who know.
 
I would like to once again warmly welcome Prime Minister Modi to Japan. It is my great pleasure to receive my close friend Prime Minister Modi in Japan for the third time.
 
Last night, I invited Prime Minister Modi to my vacation home in Yamanashi Prefecture. He is the first foreign prime minister to visit that residence. We had dinner just the two of us and discussed the future of the Japan-India relationship and various global issues in depth.
 
In Yamanashi, we also visited a state-of-the-art robotics plant of a company that has expanded its business to India. Many engineers from India are improving their skills at the training center on the premises of the plant. I heard that our guide yesterday, the President and CEO of their subsidiary company in India, is the great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi. Having last year visited Gujarat, which is closely associated with Gandhi, I felt a deep sense of connection.
 
The Japan-India relationship is expanding its horizons which are not limited to the areas of business and cutting-edge technologies. The number of visitors from India to Japan has approximately doubled over the last five years.
 
Yesterday, the plan was to view Mt. Fuji with Prime Minister Modi. The weather, however, does not always go as planned. We were nevertheless able to see the beautiful autumn foliage. That said, we were still able to get a peak of the summit, the middle, and the foot of the mountain, so I think Prime Minister Modi got a picture of the general contours of Mt. Fuji. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi also had a leisurely Japanese meal. The Prime Minister looked to be enjoying his delicious, special vegetarian Japanese meal. I hope many more people of India will visit Japan to enjoy the nature of Japan and Japanese cuisine.
 
At every opportunity, I have stated that the Japan-India relationship is a bilateral relationship with the most potential. The guests invited today are leaders who have made significant contributions in various fields so as to unleash to the fullest the potential that the Japan-India relationship holds.
 
I am looking forward to continuing to work together with all of you to ensure that this potential we have is fully realized and ask for your continued contribution to this end.               
 
With that, I would like to offer a toast to the good health of Prime Minister Modi and everyone in attendance and to the deepening of the bilateral relationship.”