Shinzo Abe in India

India and Japan aim to further bolster their strategic partnership by finalizing agreements on defence technology transfer and protection of military information, which will lead to Japanese arms sales to the Indian armed forces.
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe arrived in India on Friday for a three-day visit which will see him in a rendezvous with his counterpart, Narendra Modi, on the banks of Ganga in Varanasi. After their summit meeting here on Saturday, the two leaders will board Modi's Air India One for Varanasi. Abe will attend Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Welcoming him in a tweet, Modi described Abe as a “great friend and phenomenal leader“. Abe's trip will also see the two leaders announcing some progress in negotiations between the two countries for a civil nuclear agreement.
Abe's visit also comes soon after his country's warships took part in the annual Indo-US Malabar naval wargames in the Bay of Bengal in October, which riled China. In fact, China's Global Times said in an article on Friday that Abe's visit was part of Japan's attempts to contain China.
Apart from the stepped-up bilateral defence exchanges and exercises, India is also looking to purchase at least 12 Japanese US-2i amphibious aircraft for the Navy for around $1.3 billion, with the Coast Guard also wanting five such planes.
The bilateral joint working group has been discussing “cooperation on the US-2 amphibian aircraft“ -including technology transfer and licensed production -since 2013 but it is yet to reach a contract-inking stage.
A number of agreements, including awarding a Rs.98,000-crore contract to build India's first bullet train network, are likely to be signed. After the talks, Abe will leave for Varanasi, Modi's parliamentary constituency. Modi will accompany Abe during his nearly four-and-a-half-hour-long visit to Varanasi. The Japanese PM had accompanied Modi during his visit to Kyoto last year.
Abe will return to the Capital in the evening.In Delhi, Abe will call on President Pranab Mukherjee, attend a JapanIndia innovation seminar and interact with a group of business leaders. At the last Summit meeting held in Tokyo last year, the two prime ministers had agreed to elevate the relationship to “Special Strategic and Global Partnership“.

When Japanese premier Shinzo Abe lands at Babatpur airport, he'll get a view of the world's oldest city that few others have. Varanasi is known for its cheery spirit on most days, but for Abe, the city will turn out bride-like, Diwali lights et al, to welcome its VIP guests. Those who've seen Varanasi in its careless splendour know it is not a city that pays heed to traffic rules. On Saturday, however, Varanasi will turn a new leaf.From Babatpur airport, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe will be welcomed by UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, the roads have been brushed squeaky clean, and bystanders pushed to the back.
Men, dangling dangerously from electric poles, are painting them silver, and there's another lot of them working at a feverish pace, hanging up Diwali lights along the route Abe takes to the Nadesar Palace Hotel.