Kenji Hiramatsu  

Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu on Tuesday said there was plenty of room to expand India-Japan ties, especially in food processing, urban development, environment and sanitation as well as medicine. However, he wanted the Indian government to address the concerns of Japanese firms including on taxation, financial regulation and infrastructure.

Mr. Hiramatsu was addressing the joint meeting of the India-Japan Business Cooperation Committee organised by industry bodies FICCI and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Ambassador said in the area of urban development, Japan was helping India in developing Chennai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi as smart cities.

Priority areas

He said the other priority areas for cooperation included water supply, sewage treatment, natural disaster management techniques, internet of things, artificial intelligence, robotics, start-ups and industrial corridors. Japanese firms have been pitching, among other things, for improved infrastructure in India, uninterrupted power supply, reduction of Goods and Services Tax on hybrid and electric cars, easing foreign currency norms, including on external commercial borrowings.

A FICCI report released on the occasion cited the areas of cooperation between India and Japan, including high speed railways (linking Mumbai and Ahmedabad) and building Japanese Industrial Townships.