Japan wants to know more about state, its culture

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 6

After partnering with Vardhman Steels, now companies from Japan see mutual trade ties in sectors like horticulture, hand-tools, bicycle industry and machine-tools.

These areas of interest were discussed by representatives from leading companies of Japan during a seminar here.

Yasuyuki Murahashi, Chief Director General, JETRO India said that about 1,400 Japanese companies had already ventured into India.

India, being a promising country, was one of the favourite destinations for investment for Japanese companies.

Particularly talking about Punjab, the Japanese counterparts said that the Government of Punjab should come forward to familiarise outsiders about their state, its culture for better understanding.

They felt that they knew very little about Punjab and before entering into partnerships, there was a need to know the state that looks promising well.

Yogi Taguchi, Chairman and MD, Mitsubishi Corporation India Pvt Limited and President JCCII, said that Japan could see collaboration in sectors like horticulture, hand tools, bicycles, machine tools etc. Besides, there could be ties on renewable energy and food processing with the Government of Punjab.

Kazunori Ajiki, Managing Director, Yanmar India Pvt Ltd, cited their 30-year-long history of investments in Punjab. He also shared Yanmar’s success story in terms of collaboration with International Tractors (Sonalika) which has the world’s largest integrated tractor plant with a capacity of 3,00,000 tractors.

Vocational training must, say Germans 

Representatives from German companies focused on the need for vocationally trained youth and technology to be brought into vehicles to reduce road accidents. The representatives, including Stefan Krahl, Deputy CEO, Graepel Perforations; Dr Oliver Ludtke, COO, Verbio Global; Dr Anton Reinfelder, MD, Groz Beckert; Ramashankar Pandey, MD, Hella India Lighting; said that German companies believe in high quality for which skill-based training was a must.