The Partner City Affiliation MoU marks the launch of smart heritage city programme, between the two countries as a detailed roadmap of cooperation will be prepared which will form the base for further understanding.
Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who made a special gesture of flying to Kyoto to meet his Indian counterpart, oversaw the ceremony where the pact was signed by Indian Ambassador to Japan Deepa Wadhwa and Daisaku Kadokawa, Mayor of Kyoto, the Japanese 'smart city' which is a confluence of heritage and modernity.
The Kyoto Mayor will make a detailed presentation to Modi tomorrow on how the ancient tradition of Japan's cultural capital has been preserved while building it into a modern city.
Kyoto, with around 2000 temples and shrines, has been at the crossroads of history since the end of the Nara Period (794 A.D.), It was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years till the Emperor moved to Tokyo.
More From This Section
Under the MoU, both cities shall endeavor to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the agreed fields based on principles of equality and mutual respect and benefit and continuously exchange information and opinion in the agreed areas and cooperate in important fields.
Attired in a black Bandhgala instead of his traditional dress Kurta Payjama, Modi arrived at the Osaka International Airport earlier in the day, his first bilateral visit outside the subcontinent as the Prime Minister.
On his arrival at the hotel here, Modi was greeted by a sizable Gujarati community with whom he spoke in Gujarati.