Varanasi, October 7: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “The Abe Memorial Corridor is a living classroom for new generation. Every young person who comes here will be able to learn how a far-sighted leader can give a new direction to the future of two countries.”
CM stated, “The true tribute to late Shinzo Abe San would be that the friendship between India and Japan grows stronger every year than it was the previous year.” On the occasion of the inauguration of Abe Memorial Corridor at the Rudraksh International Convention Center in Varanasi, CM said, “This corridor is not merely a place preserving the memories of former Prime Minister of Japan, late Shinzo Abe San, but also a living symbol of the unbreakable friendship, trust and shared heritage between India and Japan.” He described it as a humble tribute to Abe San on behalf of 25 crore people of Uttar Pradesh, PM Narendra Modi and 140 crore Indians.
CM Yogi said, “Rudraksh is a symbol of friendship between India and Japan. Japan gifted Rudraksh to Kashi and today Kashi is preserving forever in this very Rudraksh the memory of former PM of Japan, late Shinzo Abe San, a symbol of friendship with Japan. Today is a very important day for all of us. As we take this friendship to a new dimension, October 7 is also the day when, exactly 25 years ago, on this very day in 2001, Prime Minister Modi ji took oath for the first time as Chief Minister of Gujarat. The foundation of friendship between our Prime Minister and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was also laid during that period. In 2007, Modi ji visited Japan as CM of Gujarat. It was there that he met Shinzo Abe San for the first time. This friendship was not built on position, it was built on trust. Positions changed, but the friendship did not. The inauguration of a memorial corridor dedicated to the memory of that friendship on the day when 25 years of this journey of public service are being completed, there could not be a more beautiful coincidence.”
CM said, “In August 2007, when Shinzo Abe San visited India for the first time as Prime Minister, he addressed the Parliament of India and said that a strong India is in Japan’s best interest and a strong Japan is in India’s best interest. In 2014, Kashi-Kyoto Partner City Agreement was signed in Kyoto. In 2015, he witnessed Indian faith at Kashi’s Ganga Aarti. In 2017, he laid the foundation stone of the bullet train in Ahmedabad and took India into a new era of mobility. In 2018, Shinzo Abe San invited Prime Minister Modi ji to his private residence in Yamanashi, giving a personal touch to the relations between the two countries.
Delhi Metro, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and every major leap in India’s infrastructure have always found Japan standing by India. Today, around 1,400 Japanese companies are operating in India. Now, India-Japan partnership has extended to future areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, green hydrogen and critical minerals. Japan has technology and India has talent. Japan has experience and India has young energy. When the friendship of two leaders becomes the trust of two nations, history changes. The friendship between PM Modi and the late Abe-san was like this. In 2021, he received India’s second-highest civilian honor, Padma Vibhushan. This was the honor of a true friend. In September 2022, PM himself traveled to Tokyo to bid farewell to his friend. The entire India observed national mourning. This was not protocol; it was a relationship.”
CM Yogi said, “Goswami Tulsidas has written, ‘Nij dukh giri sam raj kari jana, mitrak dukh raj Meru samana’, meaning that one should consider one’s own mountain-like sorrow as dust and a friend’s dust-like sorrow as a mountain. This is also the test of friendship. In today’s world, when relationships are decided by deals, finding a friend who stands by you without calculating gain or loss is very difficult. India is fortunate to have found such a true friend in Japan. The world builds relationships by looking at interests, while the relations between India and Japan are based on trust.”
CM said, “In February this year, I had the opportunity to visit Japan. Agreements were signed with Japanese companies in Tokyo and Yamanashi for investments worth thousands of crores. Sitting in a Maglev train traveling at more than 500 kilometers per hour, I saw Japan’s precision engineering from close quarters. The same Yamanashi where Abe San had invited PM Narendra Modi ji to his home is now a partner of Uttar Pradesh in green hydrogen energy. In August 2024, Governor Kotaro Nagasaki San of Yamanashi visited Uttar Pradesh with more than 200 investors. We are developing a Japanese City over 500 acres at Noida International Airport and in the YEIDA region. A Yamanashi Desk has been established at Invest UP. Japan has precision, UP has scale. A market of 25 crore people, the country’s youngest workforce and the largest network of expressways and airports.”
CM said, “In 2027, India and Japan will complete 75 years of diplomatic relations. This corridor is the first offering of that Amrit Parv. India and Japan are countries that have kept their heritage and traditions in their daily lives and work culture. Japanese culture has evolved through thousands of years of rich tradition and has been deeply influenced by Shinto and Buddhist traditions. Japan is the Land of the Rising Sun, and Uttar Pradesh is the Land of the Sun Dynasty, meaning Lord Ram was born in that Suryavansh, which is why Uttar Pradesh is the Land of the Sun Dynasty. Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Shravasti, Kaushambi and Sankisa, all the pilgrimage sites associated with the life of Lord Buddha, are in UP. The path of Japan’s faith passes through UP. Kashi and Kyoto are both the souls of their respective civilizations. Both have shown that development can be achieved while preserving heritage.”
CM said, “Languages are different, regions are different, but the sentiments are the same and the values are the same. Just three days ago, the Asian Games concluded in Aichi, Nagoya, Japan. The warmth Indian athletes received in Japan inspired our athletes to deliver an excellent performance. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Japan for giving us this sense of belonging.”
He said, “This corridor is a living classroom for the new generation. Every young person who comes here will learn how a far-sighted leader can change the future of two countries. The true tribute to Abe San would be that the friendship between India and Japan grows stronger every year than it was the previous year.”
On this occasion, Akie Abe, wife of former Japanese Prime Minister the late Shinzo Abe, state government minister Ravindra Jaiswal, Varanasi Mayor Ashok Tiwari, District Panchayat Chairperson Poonam Maurya, MLA Saurabh Srivastava and all members of the delegation that came from Japan were present.
CM Yogi welcomes Japanese guests in their own language
CM welcomed Akie Abe, wife of former Japanese Prime Minister late Shinzo Abe and the delegation from Japan in the Japanese language. He said, “Sekai de motto mo furai toshi Banaras e yokoso.” That is, “I welcome you all to Varanasi, the oldest city in the world.”
He also said, “On behalf of the sacred and eternal Kashi, holy city of Lord Vishwanath, Lord of Lords Mahadev, situated on the sacred banks of Maa Ganga, Sarnath, the land of Lord Buddha’s first sermon and all the people of this place, I heartily welcome and extend my greetings to Mrs. Akie Abe San and all the representatives who have come from Japan.” At the end of his address, CM thanked everyone, saying, “Arigato Gozaimasu.”
