Modi meets Padma Awardee Japanese Professor Tomio Mizokami, a Hindi & Punjabi linguist

New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Professor Tomio Mizokami - a Padma Awardee, and a distinguished Hindi and Punjabi linguist who promoted Indian culture and literature among the Japanese -, in Hiroshima.

In a tweet, Modi said, "In Hiroshima, I was glad to interact with Professor Tomio Mizokami. A Padma Awardee, he is a distinguished Hindi and Punjabi linguist. He has made numerous efforts to make Indian culture and literature popular among the people of Japan."

Earlier in the day, Modi unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima and said that the Gandhian ideals of peace reverberate globally and give strength to millions.

He also met with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

"Had an excellent meeting with PM Kishida this morning. We reviewed the full range of India-Japan relations and also discussed the focus areas of India's G-20 Presidency and Japan's G-7 Presidency towards making our planet better," he tweeted.

Prime Minister Modi is currently on a six-day visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia where he is scheduled to attend several programmes.