Bengaluru, Aug 29 (IANS) Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil, held discussions with Japan’s Consul General Nakane Tsutomu here, regarding the possibility of starting direct flight services from Bengaluru to the major Japanese industrial cities of Osaka and Nagoya.

Speaking afterwards, the Minister said that the state government would take necessary initiatives to strengthen investment, cultural and educational ties with Japan, as well as promote skill development such as language learning.

In connection with this, a 10-day official visit to Japan is planned starting from September 6.

At present, there is only a direct flight service from Bengaluru to Japan’s capital, Tokyo.

During the Global Investors Meet held in February this year, several Japanese companies agreed to invest Rs 7,500 crore in Karnataka across sectors such as data centres, manufacturing, and logistics, Minister Patil said.

Therefore, it is necessary to start direct flights from Bengaluru to Japan’s industrial hubs like Osaka and Nagoya, the Minister added.

He said that many people in Karnataka are employed by Japanese companies.

In this context, it would be beneficial to establish collaborations with local universities like VTU (Visvesvaraya Technological University) to introduce Japanese language courses.

“During the upcoming Japan visit, a meeting will be held with a Japanese university to discuss this further,” Minister Patil emphasised.

There are 1,400 Japanese companies operating in India, with about half of them active in the manufacturing sector.

Japan ranks fifth in terms of foreign direct investment in India, and over the past two years, 170 agreements worth $13 billion have been signed between the two countries.

A Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce office has been opened in Tokyo to manage business relations between Japan and Karnataka, Minister Patil said.

The Principal Secretary of the Industries Department, Selvakumar, and Commissioner Gunjan Krishna were also present during the meeting.

–IANS

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