Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was accorded a special welcome by the students of Delhi Public School in New Delhi on Friday.

The Japanese-style welcome prompted the visiting dignitary to declare that he felt more popular in India than in Japan.

DPS, R K Puram was the first engagement on Koizumi's two-day visit to India and he was pleasantly surprised by the strong Japanese influence on the school.

Also see: Japanese PM Koizumi arrives on two-day visit

Treated to a slice of his home country through traditional Japanese songs and dances, he said:

"You are very good at speaking Japanese. I feel proud of the fact that you have learnt Japanese very well."

The school has a three-decade history of teaching its students Japanese language and running a student exchange programme with Japan.

Koizumi greeted the students with a 'namaskar.'

"I hope that in the future you will play an important role in strengthening our friendship by acting as a bridge between India and Japan," Koizumi said.

The children presented a special dance performance, which was a fusion of Bharatnatyam and Japanese styles.