Akie Abe, the wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was visibly emotional in Varanasi on Thurssday as she inaugurated a memorial corridor named after her late husband, speaking of his close friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Shinzo Abe Memorial Corridor was opened jointly by Abe and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Rudraksh Convention Centre.
"I am deeply moved and grateful to everyone for this memorial corridor and for naming it after my husband," she said, adding that the place brought back memories of his visit to the city.
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Video from the event shows her in tears as she recalled the 2015 trip, when Shinzo Abe joined Modi for the Ganga Aarti.
Akie Abe, the wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, became emotional as she recalled her late husband's close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the Shinzo Abe Memorial Corridor in Varanasi on Wednesday. The corridor, dedicated to the former Japanese leader, was jointly inaugurated by Akie Abe and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Rudraksh Convention Centre. “I am deeply moved and grateful to everyone for this memorial corridor and for naming it after my husband,” Ms Abe said. “Seeing this place brought back memories of my husband's visit here.” #AkieAbe
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She thanked Modi and the people of India for the honour, and said she had long wished to see Varanasi and its traditions for herself.
Abe drew a parallel between Varanasi and Kyoto, two of the oldest cities in India and Japan. She noted that Varanasi was once known as Kashi, and that both names begin with the letter "K".
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She also spoke about the Rudraksh Convention Centre, which Modi inaugurated in 2021 with Japanese assistance and which her husband helped bring about with the prime minister.
Its exterior features 108 rudraksh-shaped beads. Abe said the number carries meaning in Japan too, where Buddhist temple bells are rung 108 times on New Year's Eve, symbolising the 108 human afflictions.
Adityanath said Shinzo Abe had made a significant contribution to strengthening bilateral ties.
He said about 1,400 Japanese companies now operate in India, and pointed to Japanese involvement in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail corridor and in metro projects.
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He also announced plans for a 500-acre "Japan City" near Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh, and said the state was working with Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture on a green hydrogen pilot.
Shinzo Abe was among India's closest international partners during his time in office. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian honour, in 2021.
He was assassinated in July 2022 while campaigning in the Japanese city of Nara.
The corridor and the convention centre are being presented as symbols of a relationship that has grown from cultural links into infrastructure, technology and investment. India and Japan will mark 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2027.
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