- By Shubham Bajpai
- Thu, 02 Jul 2026 10:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi played Santoor in India.
- PM Modi shared viral reel of Takaichi's performance.
- Moment from 16th India-Japan Annual Summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday shared a reel of his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first woman premier and a self-confessed "metalhead," attempting her hand at the Santoor, a traditional Indian percussion instrument.
PM Modi shared the reel on Instagram, with a caption, "Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi trying her hand at Indian music!"
Takaichi is currently in India on his visit to participate in several diplomatic engagements, including the 16th India-Japan annual summit.
On Thursday, she joined PM Modi for a cultural luncheon after bilateral diplomatic and delegation-level talks. She also attended the 16th annual summit and the India-Japan economic forum.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi tried her hand at the Santoor…
— Virendraa Sachdeva (@Virend_Sachdeva) July 2, 2026
A heartwarming moment from the 16th India–Japan Annual Summit in Delhi, where music beautifully echoed the spirit of friendship, trust, and cultural connection between India and Japan.
From the soulful… pic.twitter.com/9cRgaJ73qG
Known as the Iron Lady of Japan, Takaichi is a lifelong fan of British iconic artists and bands like Deep Purple and Iron Maiden. During her university years, she played drums in a metal band.
She is said to de-stress herself by pounding out fierce rhythms on an electronic drum kit in her residence. The reel shared by PM Modi, which has since gone viral on social media, showed the Japanese PM happily playing notes while PM Modi smiles and claps in appreciation.
The audience too applauded Takaichi. "A moment from the luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Modi. At the luncheon, there was entertainment with performances on traditional instruments. Toward the end, Prime Minister Takaichi, after expressing thanks to all the performers, was invited by one of the musicians to try playing the traditional instrument santu, and..., Prime Minister Modi also smiled and clapped," the Press Secretary who accompanied Takaichi posted on his X social media account.