NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted with chants of “Modi-san, welcome!” as he arrived in Sendai, Japan, on Saturday during his two-day visit. Large crowds gathered at the city’s semiconductor hub, cheering his name and calling out “Welcome to Japan.” Travelling from Tokyo to Sendai on the Shinkansen bullet train with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, PM Modi later met Indian train drivers undergoing training in Japan.Upon arrival, he interacted with Indian loco pilots undergoing training with Japanese Railways before touring key industrial facilities, including a semiconductor plant and a bullet-train coach manufacturing site. The semiconductor facility in Miyagi Prefecture is being developed by Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) in partnership with SBI Holdings and Japanese firms under the joint venture Japan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (JSMC). Located in the Second Northern Sendai Central Industrial Park in Ohira Village, the plant will produce 12-inch semiconductor wafers, starting with 40-nanometre technology and later expanding to 28 nm and 55 nm nodes. It will primarily serve the automotive electronics sector, which is witnessing rising demand with the growth of electric vehicles and next-generation mobility solutions.Earlier in the day, PM Modi met governors of 16 Japanese prefectures in Tokyo and called for stronger state-prefecture cooperation under the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership, the ministry of external affairs said. He was also presented with a Daruma Doll by Rev Seishi Hirose, chief priest of the Shorinzan Daruma-Ji Temple. The Daruma is an iconic cultural symbol of Japan, with historical and spiritual roots connected to India.On Friday, PM Modi arrived in Tokyo to a warm reception by members of the Indian and Japanese communities. The welcome featured cultural performances, including classical dances such as Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Odissi, along with folk songs presented in Rajasthani attire. Japanese nationals recited the Gayatri Mantra, while members of the Indian diaspora greeted the Prime Minister with chants of “Bharat Mata ki jai.”PM Modi’s two-day official visit marks his first standalone trip to Japan in nearly seven years. He is attending the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The summit will review progress across multiple areas of cooperation and discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest.Following his engagements in Japan, PM Modi will travel to Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
