NEW DELHI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will embark on a three-day visit to Japan next week, which was scrapped last year following announcement of general elections in Japan, sources said Friday.
During Singh's tour from May 27 to 30 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, both India and Japan are to raise their security relationship to new heights by working out modules for a set of annual bilateral exercises between the navies of the two countries in Indian waters, the sources said.
India is also likely to buy two amphibious search-and-rescue aircrafts from Japan during Singh's visit, the sources said, adding that deal would be the first sale of military hardware by Tokyo.
Singh's visit to Japan will be reciprocated by a rare gesture by the Japanese Emperor and Empress, who would for the first time visit India at the end of this year, they added.
The Indian Prime Minister's visit to Japan was scheduled for November last year, but it was called off after the then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolved Parliament.
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