In July, Yoshimi Ishikawa, renowned author and Japanese opinion leader, visited India and met Indian Prime Minister Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. LK Advani and Defense Minister George Fernandes, to exchange opinions. He visited the Andaman & Nicobar Islands to understand the importance of the islands in Indo-Japan relations. He also met Mr. Viren J. Shah, Governor, West Bengal, Mr. Nagendra Nath Jha, Governor Andaman accompanied by Chairman, India Center, Mr. Vibhav Kant Upadhyay.