Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a reception Monday to mark the opening of a subway line under the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul that was partly financed by Japanese yen loans.
"I hope (the railway) will be a symbol of friendship between Japan and Turkey, and further promote our friendly relationship," Abe said at the reception attended by Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim.
Abe also expressed respect for "the determination and passion of the people involved in the project, which became the driving force of the almost-impossible work of construction" and called the project "a historical achievement" resulting from cooperation between Japan and Turkey.