Modi on 2-day visit to Japan from Oct 28, Abe to host private dinner at his holiday home

In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hosted by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe for a private dinner at his holiday home in the picturesque Yamanashi prefecture on October 28, perhaps the first such reception being extended to a foreign leader.

Modi will pay a two-day visit to Japan from October 28-29 to hold the annual India-Japan summit with Abe. The focus of the visit will be to further expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, carry out joint infrastructure projects in third countries and further boost ties key sectors like defence and trade.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, briefing reporters on Modi's visit, said Abe will take his Indian counterpart to his personal home in Yamanashi for a private dinner on Sunday following which both the leaders will travel to Tokyo by train.

Yamanashi, at a distance of around 110 KM from Tokyo, is surrounded by several mountains including Mount Fuji -- the country's tallest peak at around 3,776 metres.

"This is very special gesture PM Abe is making. We believe this is the first time a foreign leader is visiting PM Abe's holiday home," Gokhale said, referring to the dinner for Modi.

In the afternoon of Sunday, Abe will host an informal lunch for Modi at a hotel, with view of Mount Fuji, and both the leaders will take a stroll at the grounds of the hotel.

Then they will visit a company which is a leading manufacturer of factory automation, Gokhale said, adding Abe has taken personal interests in working out the programme for Modi's visit.

On Monday evening, Modi and Abe will hold wide-ranging talks with a focus on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual concerns which will include exploring ways to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, boosting defence and security ties and undertaking infrastructure projects in Asia and Africa in a trilateral framework.

"It goes without saying that Indo-Pacific will be major topic for discussion between both the leaders," said the foreign secretary.

He said there will be discussions on how the two countries can collaborate in the context of the Indo-Pacific in Asia and Africa on capacity building and on infra projects in a trilateral manner. "In other words it will be India, Japan plus one."