PM Modi to visit Japan to attend Shinzo Abe's funeral

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Japan on September 27 to attend the state funeral of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

He will also separately meet his counterpart, Fumio Kishida during the visit, it said.

Abe, Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, was assassinated on July 8 after a gunman had opened fire at him from behind when he was delivering an election campaign speech in Nara prefecture.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and several other world leaders would be attending Abe's funeral.

According to reports, more than 6,000 people are expected to attend Abe's state funeral at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.