Punjab's Investment Breakthrough: How Japan and South Korea Visits Fuel Growth

Sharing his experiences of visits with the media here, the Chief Minister said that he duly showcased Punjab as the emerging hub of Industry across the globe. He said that the motive of the visit was to firm up investments in the state and create more employment opportunities for the youths by giving a fillip to industrial development.

Mann said that this historic visit will be instrumental in giving the much-needed impetus to industrial development by putting it on a high-growth trajectory. The Chief Minister said that during a meeting, Senior Managing Director of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Ogawa Kazunori showed positive interest in evaluating the state's industrial and clean-energy project proposals.

He said that they agreed to continue technical discussions on potential financing avenues through the Japanese company. The bank also welcomed the investors' summit invitation and expressed openness to future engagement.

The Chief Minister further said that Tomonori Kai and Toru Nakane, the CEO and EVP respectively of Aisan Industry Co. Ltd, showed positive interest in evaluating Punjab for future manufacturing or R&D opportunities. Similarly, he said that Tanaka Hiroki and Suzuki Mari, the Global Strategy Manager and Product Planning Group of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd, expressed openness to exploring future possibilities in EV mobility, R&D collaboration, and skill development initiatives.

Mann said that they also welcomed the Summit 2026 invitation and showed interest in staying engaged with Punjab's investment facilitation ecosystem. The Chief Minister said that during a meeting with Honda Motor Co., Ltd, Department Manager Tatsuya Nakamura and ITO Kiyoshi shared that they are in the process of exploring component manufacturing through Indian partners in Punjab. Mann assured full facilitation and policy support to the company and extended an invitation to them for PPIS 2026.

He said that Director General, South Asia Department of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Yamada Tetsuya, reaffirmed interest in supporting Punjab's development initiatives through technical cooperation and capacity-building programmes, especially in crop diversification.

The Chief Minister said that discussions with JICA focused on potential collaboration in urban infrastructure, water management, and skill development. He said that JICA expressed willingness to explore deeper engagement and project partnerships. Similarly, Hajime Ishii, the Senior Vice President of Toray Industries, showed interest in technical textiles and composites for Punjab's auto and aerospace sectors.

The Chief Minister said that Parliamentary Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Komori Takuo agreed to continue coordination for connecting Japanese firms with Invest Punjab. Similarly, he said that Jungo Okai, Head of Technology Business Management Unit of Fujitsu Ltd, expressed interest in digital governance solutions and assured that they will explore Mohali for future projects in India.

Mann said that the second day of his visit to Japan began with a meeting with NEC Corporation, adding that Director, International Cooperation Business Department, Makoto Noda and Manager Miho Hara, expressed interest in digital initiatives and industrial automation opportunities, and the company agreed to evaluate the IT ecosystem for collaboration.

The Chief Minister said that a non-binding MoU was signed between Toppan and Invest Punjab to jointly develop a Skilling Excellence Centre aligned with industry needs. He said that during a meeting with the Indian Diaspora and Local Stakeholders, focus was laid on strengthening linkages with the Indian diaspora to build long-term partnerships.

Similarly, Mann said that thrust was also laid on encouraging diaspora-led investments in key sectors such as manufacturing, technology, and services. The Chief Minister said that on day three, a meeting was held at Aichi Steel's Headquarters in which Chairman Fujioka Takahiro and President Ito Toshio welcomed the Summit invitation and expressed interest in deeper engagement and expanded investments.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that during a meeting with the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), the participants acknowledged strong complementarity between Seoul's technology strengths and Punjab's emerging IT, electronics, and startup ecosystem. Similarly, he said during a visit to Korea National Sports University (KNSU), Punjab expressed keen interest in MoUs for sports-specific training and academic exchange programs.

Mann said that KNSU welcomed proposals and acknowledged Punjab's strong sports performance, adding that an invitation was extended for KNSU to visit Jalandhar, the sports city of the state. The Chief Minister said that the Tourism Roadshow in Seoul also got a massive response as more than 10 representatives of different tour operators took part in it and evinced keen interest in harnessing the tourism potential of the state.

Meanwhile, he said that during a meeting with Sunjin, the company also intended to expand its animal feed capacity in Punjab and shared plans to set up poultry and dairy business operations in the state.

The Chief Minister said that the Japanese and South Koreans have hi-end technology, but Punjab has the most innovative and hard-working talent. He envisioned that the ensuing progressive Punjab Investor Summit would pave the way for a symphony between technology and talent.

- IANS