Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Ahmedabad Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Soon after their arrival at the airport in afternoon, Modi and Abe took part in an 8 km road show that would terminate at Sabarmati Ashram, where apostle of peace Mahatma Gandhi spent considerable part of his life.Â
Abe, who is accompanied by his wife Akie Abe, has a hectic schedule for the next two days in Modi’s home state, including laying of the foundation stone for India’s first bullet train, to be run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, and to attend the 12th Indo-Japan Summit.
Abe was presented a guard of honour at the airport, after which artistes performed the traditional Gujarati dance showcasing the state’s rich cultural traditions.
A group of Buddhist monks were also present at the airport to welcome Abe and his wife.
Later, they will visit a 16th century mosque in the evening and have dinner at a heritage restaurant in the eastern part of the city.
Here are the live updates from the event:
# PM Modi, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe & his wife Akie Abe at 'Sidi Saiyyid Ni Jaali’, the famous 16th century mosque in Ahmedabad
PM Modi, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe & his wife Akie Abe at 'Sidi Saiyyid Ni Jaali’, the famous 16th century mosque in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/yK7t8VM4yP
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe visit 'Sidi Saiyyid Ni Jaali’, famous 16th century mosque in Ahmedabad
#Watch: PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe visit 'Sidi Saiyyid Ni Jaali’, famous 16th century mosque in Ahmedabad https://t.co/0qYkw6TcXo
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# Ahmedabad: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe & his wife Akie Abe sign the visitor's book at Sabarmati Ashram
Ahmedabad: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe & his wife Akie Abe sign the visitor's book at Sabarmati Ashram. pic.twitter.com/QG3ifIzz7v
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, his wife Akie Abe and PM Narendra Modi at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, his wife Akie Abe and PM Narendra Modi at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/JvhwZYf6WL
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# PM Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, his wife Akie Abe and PM Narendra Modi pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/fjnS76FIw4
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
#Â PM Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe reach Sabarmati Ashram
# WATCH: PM Narendra Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's road show to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.
#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's road show to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/Oy7N6cQF2Y
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# Gujarat: Cultural performances being held as PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's road show to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, continues
Gujarat:Cultural performances being held as PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's road show to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, continues. pic.twitter.com/v9TQIgJfdh
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# Gujarat: Crowd cheers as PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe head towards Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad
Gujarat: Crowd cheers as PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe head towards Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/I2ibf9JxZb
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
#Â Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train will cover the distance of 508 km in 2.5 hours
# PM Modi and Japanese PM Abe to lay foundation stone of Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train on Thursday
# Gujarat: PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's road show to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, underway
Gujarat: PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's road show to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, underway. pic.twitter.com/eusZfayKL7
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# PM Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's massive 8-km roadshow beginsÂ
#WATCH: PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's road show to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad https://t.co/s22zspSeUz
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# Japanese PM leaves for Sabarmati Ashram
# As India welcomes PM Shinzo Abe, I thank him for his kind words on the robust India-Japan partnership and the strong potential of our ties, says PM Modi
# Japanese PM Shinzo Abe accorded ceremonial reception on his arrival at Ahmedabad Airport
Gujarat: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe accorded ceremonial reception on his arrival at Ahmedabad Airport pic.twitter.com/8nqDI4UShC
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
# Looking forward to new era in Indo-Japan ties, says Abe
# Japanese PM receives guard of honour at Ahmedabad airport
# India-Japan will lead the way in Indo-pacific region, says AbeÂ
# Japanese PM Shinzo Abe arrives in Ahmedabad
#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi receives Japanese PM Shinzo Abe & his wife Akie Abe at Ahmedabad Airport. pic.twitter.com/Sui3i6jYdi
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2017
Over 9,000 police personnel was present across strategic locations in the city to secure it for the two-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
Tight security arrangements have been put in place as the two leaders are expected to attend several programmes over the two days, including the annual Indo-Japanese annual Summit.
As Modi and Abe are also scheduled to visit Gandhinagar on Thursday, over 2,000 policemen will be deployed in the state capital to guard them and other dignitaries.
With PTI inputs