Modi greets Japan, Abe -- in Japanese

Two days before he flies to Tokyo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday greeted his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and saluted the Japanese people -- in a series of tweets in Japanese.

Saying he was keenly looking forward to the Aug 30-Sep 3 trip, Modi underlined that "the Japan visit (was) an opportunity to take our ties to a new level and increase cooperation in various fields".

The visit "will boost relations between our two nations".

Modi said it would be his first bilateral trip as prime minister "outside the subcontinent. I was to visit (Japan) in early July but could not due to parliament session.

"I will visit Tokyo and Kyoto and will interact with all sections of the Japanese society from students, political leaders to captains of industry."

Modi said he was "particularly excited to meet Abe. I deeply respect his leadership and enjoy a warm relationship with him from previous meetings.

"The scale of innovation and level of precision among the people of Japan is admirable. Both our nations can learn a lot from each other.

"Have very warm memories of visiting Japan as (Gujarat) CM. The hospitality and the immense scope for cooperation left a deep impression in my mind.

"Japan's friendship with India is time tested. We are two vibrant democracies committed to advancing peace and prosperity in the world," the prime minister said.

An official communique said Modi tweeted in Japanese "to talk to the people of Japan directly in Japanese. A team of Japanese volunteers helped with the translation".