India, Aug. 22 -- A summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit will be among the centrepieces of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan and China next week.

Modi will embark on his visit to Japan and China on August 29, the external affairs ministry announced on Friday. He is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the SCO Summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The visit comes against the backdrop of a recent thaw in India-China relations and growing estrangement between New Delhi and Washington over trade-related issues. The visit to Japan ...