IN THE MEMORY OF ‘DEAR FRIEND ABE SAN’!

Tokyo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday joined several world leaders in Tokyo to attend former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s state funeral. Japan began the state funeral with his widow Akie carrying his ashes into a Tokyo hall where thousands of mourners gathered. Tributes were paid with flowers, prayers and a 19-gun salute. Ahead of the ceremony, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida. He noted the contributions of former PM Abe in strengthening the India-Japan partnership as well as in conceptualizing the vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. PM joined global leaders to pay tribute to Abe.