Tokyo/Ahmedabad, 24 July 2012

On the second day of his official visit to Japan, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today held a series of fruitful meetings with eminent dignitaries and top honchos of Japan’s top global industrial houses and financial institutions.

The top executives, including those from Sumitono Corporation, Bank of Tokyo, Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Itochu, Mizuho Finance and Kaidanren, were impressed by Mr. Modi’s farsighted vision and strategies for development in the 21st Century.

Mr. Modi met them in continuation of his address to a seminar held under the aegis of JETRO yesterday, attended by 400 delegates.

Speaking on different occasion at different venues, Mr. Modi said that Gujarat has already emerged as the growth engine of India’s economy and is on the way to assuming a new identity as an ‘Industrial State with Green State’, marching ahead in tandem with environment-oriented development.

He exuded confidence that Japan with its experience and technology and Gujarat with its entrepreneurial skill and talented manpower could play a decisive role in India and Japan’s becoming powerful economies in the 21st Century.

He listed Gujarat’s initiative in renewable energy, solar power, solar power atop canal networks, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), rail-road-port-airport communication linkage, Dholera SIR (Special Investment Region), Eco City.

Gujarat is setting up Asia’s biggest desalination plant at Dholera to recycle seawater for industrial use as per the states’ new desalination policy, harnessing wind power and solar power for generating electricity from panels being installed on structure atop 4,000-km long Narmada canal network, preparing a hazard-free shipbuilding and ship-breaking, gas-grid and Internet broadband connectivity as part of Next Gen Infrastructure.

Mr. Modi said that Gujarat’s core competence is in political stability, industrial peace in labour relations, policy-driven reforms, uninterrupted power supply, consistent and fast implementation of policies, transparency in governance and clear land acquisition rules. These leave hardly any rule for dispute, he said.

Amid a series of programmes and busy schedule Mr. Narendra Modi and accompanying delegation, on Tuesday, held meetings with Mr. T. Okamura, President of Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JCCI), Mr. H. Yonekura, President of Japan Business Federation, Keidanren, and Mr. Y. Sato, President of Mizuho financial group discussed about developing industrial and cultural relationships between Japan and Gujarat.

In various programmes held today by India Centre Foundation, Japan-India Parliamentarians’ Friendship League, International Friendship Exchange Council and Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Modi’s role was lauded for the growing relationships between Gujarat and Japan.

Deputy Prime Minister of Japan Katsuya Okada today invited the Chief Minister to the Prime Minister’s office. The duo made elaborate discussions on expanding the ties between Gujarat and Japan.

Chief Minister said that both the countries – India and Japan – not only share business relationships but also share Buddhist influence. This cultural bond will become instrumental in boosting the economy of both the countries.

If the government and the people of Japan partner in making of the majestic Buddha temple in Gujarat on the site where Buddhist relics have been found, it will further develop the cultural ties between two countries, he said.

Chief Minister acquainted the Japan Deputy PM with Gujarat’s ambitious ‘green’ project of generating 5000 MW solar power by installing solar panels on Narmada canal, that is in line with Japan’s ‘Go Green’ project. He also invited Japan government and companies to invest in the project.

Mr. Okada also discussed about the State’s projects in the field of solar and wind energy, renewable energy research, DMIC project, Dholera SIR and Buddhist tourism circuit, among others.

The success of this bilateral meeting has given rise to newer and encouraging dimensions of mutual relationship between Gujarat and Japan.

Chief Minister and accompanying delegation will depart from Tokyo in a bullet train for a visit to Hamamatsu, Osaka, Nagoya and Kobe tomorrow.