As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and India Japan @70, Ambassador of India to Japan H.E. Shri Sibi George met the members of the Japan-India Friendship Association of the Nara Prefectural Assembly and exchanged views on strengthening cooperation between the Nara Prefecture and India in diverse fields.Shri Nikhilesh Giri, Consul General of India, Osaka was also present. The Ambassador visited Nara Prefecture along with Consul general of India to Osaka-Kobe as part of prefectural outreach and interacted with several Japanese stakeholders for further strengthening the bilateral ties. The friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilizational ties. India’s earliest documented direct contact with Japan was with the Todaiji Temple in Nara, where the consecration or eye-opening of the towering statue of Lord Buddha was performed by an Indian monk, Bodhisena, in 752 AD.