New Delhi/Tokyo, July 16 (IANS) Japanese companies have shown keen interest in investing in India’s growing textiles sector, Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh has said.

India’s garment exports to Japan stood at $234.5 million in 2024. Tokyo imported these goods worth about $23 billion last year.

Inaugurating the 16th edition of the India Tex Trend Fair (ITTF) in Tokyo, the minister said that India-Japan textiles trade relations remain strong since ages.

“I have spoken to various stakeholders from the apparel and textiles sector under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s end-to-end policy that has been in place for the apparel and textiles sector,” he told the gathering.

“There is an ecosystem like 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks with an area encompassing 1,000 to 2,000 acres of each unit, where the expected investment is of 1 lakh crore, creating almost 12 lakh jobs. The Japanese investors will get all facilities including benefits of the state government subsidies — like labour and electricity subsidy, etc,” the minister emphasised.

The minister met the leadership team of Asahi KASEI, a $20 billion dollar conglomerate, which is interested in ‘Make in India for the world’.

The 16th India Trend Fair is a flagship textiles event, organised in collaboration with the Embassy of India, the Ministry of Textiles, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), and the Japan India Industry Promotion Association (JIIPA).

“Recently, Japan has imported 5,000 cars from India which is testimony in itself of the Indian quality standards which are at par with the Japanese standards. We have sustainable fibre and sustainable workforce which can be leveraged to boost exports,” said Singh.

Sibi George, Ambassador of India in Japan, said India is a rapidly growing economy with an annual growth rate of 6 per cent and huge domestic demand and is expected to remain strong. “Every day we have good news of growing India-Japan economic ties despite global supply chain slowdown,” he said.

In his address to the gathering, Rohit Kansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles said, that the Indian textile sector presents tremendous opportunities. “Its end-to-end value chain capabilities, large domestic market, strong export footprint and capacity to manufacture sustainable and at scale are attractive factors for any buyer or investor,” he mentioned.

Sudhir Sekhri, Chairman of AEPC, said that ‘India Tex Trend Fair’ has emerged as a strategic platform for showcasing the depth, diversity, and innovation of Indian textiles and garments.

“With participation from over 150 exhibitors, this edition brings an impressive array of collections — from sustainable apparel and high fashion to artisan lifestyle products — designed to resonate with Japanese consumer preferences.”

—IANS

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