Shinzo Abe in Gujarat LIVE updates: PM Modi grateful to Japan for assistance in Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project

Japan PM Shinzo Abe in Gujarat LIVE updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives Shinzo Abe at the airport in Gujarat. (Source: Twitter/@narendramodi)

On day 2 of his visit to Gujarat, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project at ceremony near the Sabarmati Railway Station.

The two prime ministers will then visit Dandu Kutir, a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, before holding bilateral talks at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

Their meeting, the tenth in the last three years, will focus on defence technology and cooperation and bilateral trade between the two countries.

Modi, who is hosting the Japanese PM in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, received Abe and his wife, Akie, at the airport — a departure from protocol — on Wednesday, before embarking on a roadshow in an open-top vehicle to the Sabarmati Ashram. After a guided tour of the Ashram, they visited Sidi Saiyyed Ni Jaali, a 16th-century mosque. Modi later hosted Abe and Akie at a Gujarati rooftop restaurant.

Japan PM Shinzo Abe in Gujarat LIVE updates:

10.48 am: Adding that if technology is used to empower the poor, it can be used in fight against poverty, Modi said there would be efforts to ensure common man can access this project.

10.45 am: “India has a friend which has given it a loan of Rs 88,000 crore at 0.1 per cent interest for the bullet train,” Modi said thanking Japan for providing financial and technical assistance in this project. “Ek prakar se mufat mein poora project bannta jaaraha hai.”

10.40 am: PM Narendra Modi said that “transport system plays an important role in ensuring connectivity in the country. People of the country make use of this connectivity in several ways.”

10.37 am: “Japan has shown that its a true friend of India,” PM Modi said adding that Japanes PM Shinzo Abe has contributed greatly towards the rapid development of this project. “The next generation growth will take place in places which have high-speed corridors.”

10.35 am: “The bullet train project is a project that will bring speed and employment. It is human-friendly and eco-friendly,” Modi said.

10.33 am: “This is the New India and the flight of its dreams is endless,” said PM Narendra Modi. He also said India has taken a very important step towards its dream.

10:31 am: PM Modi welcomes Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Maharashtra and various dignitaries present at the event.

10:29 am: If we work together nothing is impossible: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe on India-Japan partnership

10:28 am: Dear friend PM Modi is a far-sighted leader, he made a decision of making New India & chose Japan as partner, we completely support it: PM Abe

10:28 am: Japan is committed to the scheme of ‘Make in India’: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe

10:27 am: Japan ka Ja and India’s I becomes Jai, and that’s what we will strive for, says Japan PM.

10:25 am: No accidents have been reported ever since Shinkansen was launched in Japan. Japan’s know-how of the Shinkansen technology will aid India’s Railways system, says Japan PM.

10:24 am: India can become a global manufacturing hub. Shinkansen will spread from Sabarmati to the rest of India. And Japanese engineers are all set to put in their hard work, says Japan PM.

10:22 am: More than 100 engineers from Japan have come to India and are talking to each other constantly, says Japan PM.

10:20 am: PM Modi had taken a decision two years back of getting high-speed railways and for this, he chose Japan’s Shinkansen, says Shinzo Abe.

10:19 am: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe starts his address with “Namaskar”

10.13 am: A presentation on the bullet train is playing. The bullet train, which is 508 kms long, will run between Sabarmati Railway Station and Bandra Kundra complex in Mumbai. A ticket for the train will cost between Rs 2,700 and Rs 3,000 — by air, travelling the same distance costs Rs 3,500-4,000.

10.08 am: Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, during the inauguration of the bullet train event, expresses gratitude towards Japan. “The entire state of Gujarat is experiencing immense joy today,” he says, reports ANI.

10.04 am: Here are some facts on the bullet train.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: All you need to know. 1/3http://t.co/ryUTZszGsN pic.twitter.com/2WJ8Nmr61x

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) September 14, 2017

10.02 am: Fadnavis is now speaking. He says, “This bullet train will generate employment which will contribute towards the GDP of both Maharashtra and Gujarat. The New India we envisioned will start from Gujarat and go upto Maharashtra.”

10.00 am: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, speaking at the event, says the bullet train will be a symbol of brotherhood between the people of India and Japan. At the event, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani are also present. Goyal adds, “While everyone was initially criticising the project, everyone wants to travel in it now.”

9.50 am: Modi and Abe are being briefed about the high-speed rail project that will run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Modi and Abe are briefed on the high-speed train. (Source: ANI)

9.40 am: The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail ceremony is expected to begin in about 10 minutes. It will be held at the Athletics Ground, Sabarmati Railway Station. The 508-kilometre route from Bandra in Mumbai to Sabarmati, is scheduled to be ready by 2022. Read all the details about the project here. 

9.23 am: The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of using Abe’s visit to gain grounds in poll-bound Gujarat. Senior leader Manish Tiwari said, “With an election in Gujarat round the corner, it does raise a question that a state visit is actually being used for political purposes. Because the manner in which it is structured is rather awkward, to say the least.” He added that it is strange that the “Prime Minister of a country as important as Japan, which is almost India’s strategic partner in many respects, is strangely not even being hosted in Delhi”. Read more here.

9.20 am: Here’s EP Unny’s ‘Business as Usual’ cartoon on Abe’s visit to India in The Indian Express today. You can see more of his cartoons here.

9.10 am: After their bilateral meeting, the two leaders are expected to issue a press statement. Sources told The Indian Express, “Defence and security will be one of the focus areas of the joint statement. The strategic convergences, especially in the Indo-Pacific area, will reflect in the joint document.” Read more here.

9.03 am: Ahead of Abe’s visit to India, Modi had said, “India truly values the relationship with Japan and we look forward to further boosting our bilateral ties in a wide range of sectors.”

8.50 am: Today, Abe will be welcomed at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) with a song written in Gujarati and Japanese. “Kem Chho Konnichiwa” (how are you in the two languages) will be performed by 18 school children.

Later, the two leaders will lay the foundation for India’s first bullet train, a Shinkansen model. At the event, Akie Abe will be served an ice cream in the shape of the train, which will be flavoured with black currant and green tea. Akie will later inaugurate an Origami Mahotsav at the AMA, and also visit the Sabarmati riverfront and the Blind People’s Association.

Read | Ahmedabad notes: Of a packed Thursday, and a thaali dinner

8.30 am: Ahead of Abe’s visit to India, the Japanese PM had said he was looking forward to advancing the “new era in Japan-India relations.” He added that economic cooperation is the cornerstone of the countries’ relationship, adding that there are 1,305 Japanese companies in India.

“Prime Minister Modi is a powerful leader with an outstanding ability to get things done. I believe Japan-India relationship is blessed with the largest potential in the world and I am determined that Japan and India will lead the way towards peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and the world,” Abe added, in a statement.

8.15 am: Welcome to our live blog on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India. Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks on Thursday. This is their tenth meeting in the last three years.

(With inputs from agencies)