Ahmedabad:

Governor of Hyogo Prefecture in Japan Toshizo Ido, who is on a 3 day Gujarat visit leading a 45-member Goodwill Delegation to enhance bilateral cooperation today remembered his past trip to Gujarat and meeting with the then CM Narendra Modi.

Interacting with media at the AMA here Ido talked of the close ties between the two nations. He expressed hope that mutual cooperation between the two countries and Gujarat and Hyogo would also continue to grow in future. He said that he still remember the warmth of reception during his visit to Gujarat way back in 2010.

‘It was late in the night when we reached here but were accorded a very warm welcome. The next day I had a meeting with the then CM Narendra Modi to discuss about future cooperation. Modi as the then CM had visited Hyogo capital Kobe twice in 2007 and 2012,’ he said.

On the occasion Noriyoshi Okaguchi, Vice Mayor of Kobe city, expressed his happiness on Ahmedabad becoming the first UNESCO world heritage city in India.
The 45-member delegation comprises members of the Hyogo Prefecture Assembly, officials of the Hyogo government, top members of the Hyogo-Kobe business community, Kobe city government and the Kobe city assembly.
A Puppet Theater Workshop was also conducted by Awaji Ningyo Joruri, an internationally acclaimed, traditional Japanese narrative puppet show at the J.B. Auditorium, AMA. A Hyogo-Kobe Business Seminar, jointly organized by AMA, IndextB and JETRO will follow on November 1 at the H.T Parekh Convention Center, AMA.

With over a 500-year old history behind it, the Ningyo Joruri is unique to the culture of Japan and has a dramatic narrative chanting at its core, accompanied by the three-stringed shamisen instrumentals. It ranks among the country’s foremost stage arts and its popularity heightened during the Edo Period (1603—1867), popular for the stories and motifs expressed in them.

The delegation visit succeeds the signing of a momentous Sister-State Relationship between Gujarat and Hyogo Prefecture on November 12, 2016 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This laid down a foundation of cooperation in the field of academics, business, culture, disaster management and environment protection.

After this, Ahmedabad Management Association and the Indo-Japan Friendship Association jointly organized an 11-member Goodwill Delegation from Gujarat in April 2017.

The current Goodwill Delegations visit is in reciprocation to the above and will tap opportunities of mutual collaboration and methods to take the bilateral relationship fruitfully ahead over the next 3 days. Interactions with university students have been lined up too.

DeshGujarat