Saturday, 12 October 2013 00:00
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A high-powered Japanese biz and investment delegation is arriving in Colombo tomorrow, (13 October. The 30-member strong delegation is led by none other than Hiroyuki Ishige, Chairman of the powerful Japanese trade and investment arm, Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).
“We warmly welcome the biggest Japanese delegation to visit Sri Lanka. While we thank them for their efforts and praise JETRO’s initiatives, we are also encouraged by their unprecedented interest expressed with no less than the presence of the JETRO Chairperson,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen yesterday.
Organised by JETRO Colombo, this one of the biggest Japanese delegations to arrive in Sri Lanka – for business or otherwise.
The four-day visit is expected to give the eager Japanese investors a first-hand view on investment, B2B and trade terrain of Sri Lanka.
JETRO Colombo revealed that it is collaborating in this effort with Sri Lanka-Japan Business Cooperation Committee and the Japan-Sri Lanka Business Cooperation Committee with support from the Embassy of Japan in Colombo.
Japan is one of the leading investors in Sri Lanka entering the country in the immediate aftermath of the opening of the economy in 1977 and ever-continuing to enhance its presence.
In fact, Japan is one of the leading global players in Lanka’s industrial modernisation in the country’s recent history. To date, there are 39 Japanese supported projects in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan firms and manufacturers continuously look to Japanese investors for high tech know-how and knowledge transfer.
During the official working visit to Japan of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in March 2013 at the invitation of Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, both leaders in their joint statement noted the need to dispatch a Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) joint investment mission to Sri Lanka, as a follow-up to the investment seminar that would take place during the President’s visit to Japan, to conduct JETRO’s survey on needs and strategies for Japan-Sri Lanka business, and to dispatch experts from New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) in order to explore the possibility of bilateral cooperation.
