Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida paid a visit to the Bal Bodhi Tree in Delhi's Buddha Jayanti Park on Monday. The two leaders were walking through the park after praying and showering flowers on the Bal Bodhi Tree.
Kishida, who arrived in Delhi this morning for a nearly 27-hour visit, also tried the park's Gol Gappe, Lassi, and Aam Panna, according to a video posted by news agency ANI.
After the meeting, PM Modi in a joint statement said, "Today Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida invited me to the G7 Leaders' Summit which will be held in Hiroshima in May. I thank him for this."
"I warmly welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to India. PM Fumio Kishida and I have met several times in the last year, and each time I have felt his optimism and commitment to the India-Japan bilateral relationship. His visit today will help to keep the momentum going," he added.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi and Kishida vowed to strengthen the India-Japan global strategic partnership, arguing that it is critical for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region while also benefiting the two countries in a variety of ways.
In his media statement, Modi referred to India's G20 presidency and Japan's G7 presidency, saying it is the best opportunity to collaborate on both sides' agendas for global good.
Modi stated that he briefed Prime Minister Kishida extensively on the priorities of India's G20 leadership.
The prime minister stated that the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is built on democratic principles and respect for international law and that it is important for the Indo-Pacific area.
During his March visit to India, Kishida set a five trillion yen (Rs 3,20,000 crore) investment target in India over the following five years.
In 2000, India-Japan relations were upgraded to 'Global Partnership,' then to 'Strategic and Global Partnership,' and finally to 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership,' in 2014.