Yamanashi (Japan), Oct. 29: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe held informal talks at a picturesque resort near Mount Fuji and visited a factory of industrial robot manufacturer on Sunday as they spent about eight hours together on the first day of a two-day summit.

Modi, who arrived in Japan on Saturday evening to attend the 13th India-Japan annual summit, has said the partnership between the two countries has been fundamentally transformed and it has been strengthened as a ‘special strategic and global partnership’.

The summit seeks to review the progress in ties and deepen strategic dimension of the bilateral relationship. Modi was affectionately received by Abe on his arrival at the Hotel Mount Fuji in the scenic Yamanashi prefecture, west of Tokyo.

“Delighted to meet PM @AbeShinzo in the picturesque prefecture of Yamanashi,” Modi tweeted.

Abe hosted a luncheon for Modi at the scenic resort by Mount Fuji. They visited the FANUC industrial facility, which specialises in automation. “Taking our cooperation to modern and advanced technologies. PM @narendramodi and PM @AbeShinzo visited the FANUC Corporation, one of the largest makers of industrial robots in the world in #Yamanashi, and toured the robotics and automation facilities,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Both leaders observed several illustrations of the working of industrial robots. At the motor assembly facility, they witnessed the assembling of a motor by a robot in 40 seconds, officials added.

FANUC contributes to the manufacturing industry in Japan and other countries, including India, by promoting automation and efficiency in manufacturing. 

Later in the evening, Abe in a special gesture hosted Modi at his personal villa near Lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi for a private dinner. It is the first time that Abe has invited a foreign political leader to his holiday home in the village of Narusawa in the prefecture.

After the dinner, the two leaders left for Tokyo by train.

Yamanashi, 110 km from Tokyo, is surrounded by several mountains, including Mount Fuji — country’s tallest peak at 3,776 metres.

They will hold a formal summit on Monday in Tokyo, during which strengthening bilateral security and economic cooperation is expected to be high on the agenda.

According to the Indian Media, Ahead of his departure from New Delhi, Modi described India and Japan as a “winning combination” and said the island nation was New Delhi’s most trusted partner in its economic and technological modernisation.

“The India-Japan partnership has been fundamentally transformed and it has been strengthened as a ‘special strategic and global partnership’. There are no negatives but only opportunities in this relationship which are waiting to be seized,” Modi said.

India is also hoping to have integration between Modi’s Ayushman Bharat scheme and the Japanese programme Asia Health and Wellbeing Initiative.