Japan keen on sharing infra tips

As of October 2011, there were 812 Japanese companies in India, of which 47 were in Kerala 

Japan is keen on business collaborations with Kerala and has expressed its willingness to share its abilities in infrastructure development.

Stating this, Hajime Nakamura, deputy director,Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro), said Japanese companies were interested in information communications technology (ICT) and healthcare sectors for collaboration.

He told this at a session on ‘Business opportunities through economic cooperation between Japan and India – Japan’s resurgence post the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011’ held on Thursday in connection with Emerging Kerala 2012.

Jetro is a Japanese government-supported organisation that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world.

As of October 2011, there were 812 Japanese companies in India, of which 47 were in Kerala. Electronics and logistics top the list of areas in which Japan partners Kerala, he added.

Shinya Fujii, director general, Jetro -Chennai, discussed Japan’s strategy for complete resurgence from the major earthquake that struck the country on March 11, 2011. He talked about how casualties in the Shinkansen high-speed train service, which transports over 150 million passengers a year, were minimised through early warning systems that slowed down the trains when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck. After the disaster, the Japanese government unveiled a revival package that centred around 11 growth strategies and 38 priority policy actions, he said.

Seabell solution
Japanese company Seabell International has proposed a feasibility study to tap the hydro-power potential of the state, promising a green energy solution for the state’s energy crisis.

“It would be a collaborative venture joining hands with various Kerala agencies,” said Seabell International biomass adviser, Hiroshi Oishi.

“We have done a web research on Kerala that shows that the state has tremendous potential to generate green energy. But as far as we know, 50 per cent of hydro energy in the state is untapped,” he said.