Japanese foreign minster meets Modi

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday at the start of a two-day trip aimed at boosting ties between Asia's second and third largest economies.

Kishida's trip comes on the heels of the crushing win of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in national polls last month and a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan in August-September.

Abe, a right-wing nationalist likened to Modi for his zeal for economic reforms, has been keen to shore up ties with New Delhi to counter an increasingly assertive China.

Modi too signalled the high priority he accorded to Japan by making the trip to Tokyo -- his first bilateral visit outside South Asia since taking office last May.

There was no immediate word on the outcome of the talks with Modi which lasted around half an hour. The two men were pictured smiling and shaking hands at the start of their meeting.