Assam CM Himanta meets top Japanese officials, discusses strengthening Assam-Japan ties
Jan 23, 2025
Tokyo [Japan], January 24 : Assam Chief Minister, during his ongoing visit to Assam, held multiple engagements with top Japanese officials, discussing the strengthening of Assam-Japan ties and inviting more investment into his state.
Fukushiro Nukaga, Speaker of Japan's House of Representatives hosted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for a dinner at his residence, and the two leaders held discussions on multiple issues including the development of sports tourism facilities, informed an official statement..
CM Sarma began Day 2 of his visit to the country by offering tributes to the freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the Indian Embassy. The Chief Minister recalled Netaji's lasting legacy and unparalleled contributions to the freedom movement, remarking that his presence in Japan on this special day was a moment of personal honour.
The Assam CM later held separate meetings with Komura Masahiro, Japan's State Minister of Justice and Furukawa Yasushi, Japan's State Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Tokyo to discuss and deliberate on joint efforts to develop Assam's tourism sector and the State's plans to dedicate an exclusive Japanese industrial estate.
The Chief Minister also held a meeting with Lekh Raj Juneja, CEO of Kameda Seika and invited him to take advantage of Assam's mature food processing sector. From Tokyo, the Chief Minister travelled to Hiroshima to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and the victims of the Hiroshima Nuclear bomb attack at the Hiroshima Peace Park, which he hailed as a symbol of Japanese resilience.
He also visited the Micron Memory Plant in Hiroshima, one of the major semiconductor players globally to take stock of their operations and had an interaction with their Vice President Joshua Lee, the statement read.
The Assam Chief Minister invited them to explore Assam's Electronic City in Jagiroad and be a part of the upcoming semiconductor ecosystem there. From Hiroshima, Sarma travelled to Osaka to take part in the 2nd Roadshow of the Japanese leg of his tour for promoting Advantage Assam 2.0.
In attendance of over 80 business leaders from Osaka, the Chief Minister highlighted Assam's rapid strides towards being the next economic powerhouse of India with strong support from the Union Govt.
He highlighted how the State's GSDP is set to touch USD 85 billion next year and that the aim has been set to achieve USD 143 billion GSDP by 2030.
The Chief Minister also touched upon how a USD 12 billion infrastructure upgradation plan is on the anvil in the state and a USD 4 billion in private investments has been secured in 2024. With a simple, effective and customised policy regime in place, investors can have their bases up and running in the shortest possible time with the state's assurance of providing all infrastructure and other facilities to supplement their efforts.
He extended a warm welcome to all leaders to join the Advantage Assam Summit next month. After his interaction with business leaders, the Chief Minister held a meeting with Pravin Chaudhuri, Executive Officer and Head of India Business of Kansai Paints and invited him to explore opportunities in Assam's rapidly growing market.
CM Sarma concluded the day's engagements by indulging in a meeting with Yusuke Kakimoto, Founder and CEO of Enrission India Capital which nurtures startups in collaboration with IITs. He invited the group to explore Assam's startup ecosystem and train the founders, the statement added.
Tomorrow, on the last day of his Japan visit, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has a host of meetings lined up with senior Govt representatives and industry leaders.