Prime Minister Narendra Modi today surprised everyone in a press interaction after the 16th annual India-Japan summit when he referred to Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi as “little sister”.
While many thought it was a sign of PM Modi venting his emotions, something he rarely does, the real reason lies in the restrained conversation that took place between PM Modi and PM Takaishi at the Hyderabad House.
According to officials familiar with the talks, Prime Minister Takaichi told her Indian counterpart that the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was like her big brother and that she looked up to him. Prime Minister Takaishi apparently said that since Abe-san had so much affection and respect for Prime Minister Modi, she now views him as her big brother as well.
Prime Minister Modi had close personal ties with Prime Minister Abe, who was assassinated on July 8, 2022 by an extremist in Nara, the constituency of Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi. India-Japan relations took off to a new level under the leadership of Abe San, who was the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history. Prime Minister Modi specially flew to Tokyo on September 27, 2022 to attend the state funeral of Shinzo Abe and hold a condolence meeting with the wife of the late leader Akie Abe.
As Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Takaishi respected the late leader, PM Modi assumed the role of a big brother and described the visiting leader as his little sister.
For her part, Prime Minister Takaishi openly embraced the bond of brotherhood by thanking PM Modi for calling her his “beautiful younger sister” and stated that the two leaders were on the same page with the bond reflecting the understanding the two leaders reached during their private discussions.
