India, Oct. 8 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Akie Abe, wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and recalled her late husband's contribution to strengthening India-Japan relations.

Modi said Shinzo Abe was a close friend and a visionary leader who played a significant role in taking the bilateral relationship between India and Japan to a new level. He also described the newly inaugurated Shinzo Abe Memorial Corridor in Varanasi as a fitting tribute to the former Japanese leader's contribution to the friendship between the two countries.

"Pleased to meet Mrs Akie Abe, wife of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Deeply value her enduring association with India," Modi wrote on X. "Abe San was a dear f...