Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Japan Saturday morning on his first bilateral visit outside the Indian subcontinent.
Modi and his entourage will touch down at Kyoto airport where Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will receive the Indian head of government.
Abe will be hosting a dinner for his Indian counterpart later Saturday.
This is Modi's third official bilateral visit after becoming prime minister in May this year. He made bilateral visits to South Asian neighbours Bhutan and Nepal after becoming prime minister.
The only other visit he made abroad after assuming the top post was in Brazil for the BRICS (Brazil, India, China, Russia, South Africa) summit.
