Canon to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Indo-Japanese strategic relations

To Commemorate 60years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan, Canon India will participate in the grand finale event with Japanese fireworks and visuals that will be showcased at India Gate on December 1, 2012 from 8PM onwards.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India said, “It’s been fifteen years since Canon started its operations on the Indian soil. Since India-Japan has completed 60 years of economic relations, this is a great opportunity to build stronger and closer bond of friendship and business between the two Asian giants. The trade between the two countries is expanding. Japanese brands stand for value and assurance and India is a growing market having a lot of potential and respect for such brands”.

Sharing his thoughts Dr. Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India said, “Canon is one of the most reputed brands in Japan. Canon is also one of the most lovable, respected & aspirational brand in India. As Japan-India diplomatic relations enters its 60th year, Canon takes pride in symbolising warm & cordial association between two great nations & commits itself to making it as household name in India. The top of mind association of Japanese brand in India happens to be trust and quality. In our pursuit of business expansion we are working with four ‘E’ approach – Education, Experience, Engagement & Excitement for the customers. Our business philosophy of ‘Kyosei' stands for living & working together in harmony for common good. Therefore, we also strongly believe in being socially involved through sustained CSR projects across India”.

In this milestone year various cultural events on Japan have been taking place all over India to facilitate mutual understanding between the people under the theme-“Resurgent, Vibrant India: New perspectives, New exchanges”. As part of their strategic global partnership, the two countries are actively promoting their co-operation in the wide range of areas, including political, security, economy and cultural exchanges. Also the remarkable economic growth in India is attracting many Japanese companies to invest in India.

Earlier this year Canon India had participated in JAPAN NEXT- Quality products show that was held in Delhi to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Japan- India diplomatic relations. The event showcased Japan’s technological strength by introducing the latest high-quality products offered by Japanese companies.

Honda Car India to set up greenfield diesel engine factory in Rajasthan

Honda Car India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Co. of Japan will set up a greenfield diesel engine factory at its second industrial location in Rajasthan that have largely remained unutilised over the past five years.

The Indian subsidiary will debut Honda's first global compact car in diesel in 2013 fired by the locally-manufactured engines.

This sub-four metre sedan, Amaze, based on its Brio hatchback model - Honda's strategic model for Asia - would have a 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel based on its 'Earth Dreams' diesel technology.

Honda Car's senior V-P (sales & marketing) Jnaneswar Sen confirmed the corporate plans for a new diesel engine plant exclusively for the Indian market.

"We plan to launch the diesel car at a very aggressive price that would require high level of localisation in the Indian market. We have finalised plans to set up a diesel engine plant at Tapukara in Rajasthan by next year but the finer details regarding capacity and investments are yet to be worked out," he said.

The company would start assembling a 1.5-litre diesel engine by early next year that would initially debut in the Amaze sedan which would compete with MarutiBSE -0.39 % topseller Dzire & Tata Motors' Indigo.

The same engines would also come in Honda's other cars like the new Jazz and the new City sedan that would roll out some time in 2014 for the Indian market.

"The diesel engine would not power any of the existing compact cars like the current models of Brio, Jazz and the City sedan. We will have this diesel technology reserved only for the new cars that would be introduced over the next 2-3 years," Sen added.

According to three different component manufacturers, Honda plans to introduce Amaze in the price range of 5-8 lakh by increasing cost competitiveness through local sourcing and production. "We have been working with Honda to develop components for its new diesel engine.

The component supplies for making these engines would resume early next year as the car (Amaze) is expected to debut in mid-2013," said a Delhi-based auto component maker.

According to company sources, Honda would also supply some of the engine components from the Rajasthan plant to its UK subsidiary. It already makes higher configuration diesel engines in the UK, which are strapped to its popular cars like the Accord and the CR-V sporty utility vehicle.

However, the diesel engine would not be fitted in Accord and CR-V models in India. Amaze, the entry-level sedan, would also be rolled out in a 1.2-litre petrol engine that currently powers its Jazz and the Brio hatchback.

Mitsubishi Pencil plans to sell its pen with Linc Pens under the name ‘Uni’ brand

 Japan’s largest writing instrument maker which has 13% stakes in India partner Linc Pens has decided to raise it.Mitsubishi Pencil Co's global president Eiichiro Suhara said that the company is keen to explore the Indian market as the market in Europe and US is slowing down.

 

"We have lots of money and are extremely keen to increase our holding in Linc," Suhara said. "But we would not like to take the driver's seat with majority holding since the local partner will have much better knowledge of the market than us," he added. Suhara was in the city on Tuesday in his second visit to the country. Linc Pens MD Deepak Jalan, who along with his family holds 60 per cent in the company, said that Mistibushi ‘s decision of raising the stakes would depend on whether their expectations are met in India or not."But we will maintain our majority holding," he said.

 Linc said that being one of the top three writing instrument company in India Mitsubishi has planned to sell its pen with them under the ‘Uni’ brand. The local production of Mitsubishi pens will start in 6-12 months.Suhara said Mitsubishi will initially use the Linc Pen facilities for production but may later set up its own factory. "Local production will help us to lower pen prices since there are currently around 15 per cent duties on import," he says.

Love In Tokyo Full Length Movie

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3bICPEr1qU&wide=1

Link to this video

Description Love in Tokyo was shot on location in Japan shortly after the 1964 Olympics. The story starts off in India where Ashok (Joy Mukherji) is being pressured to marry a woman he doesn't love. His elderly mother asks him to travel to Tokyo to pick up his eight year old nephew, a recently orphaned boy named Chikoo whom Ashok has never met because his family disowned his older brother after he married a Japanese woman. Ashok arrives in Tokyo only to discover that Chikoo has no intention of going to India, a country he has never seen before. Ashok hopes to win his nephew over by taking him on an expensive shopping trip, but the boy escapes when his attention is diverted by a beautiful woman named Asha (Asha Parekh), whom he sees performing a traditional Indian dance on television. Asha was also orphaned as a child and raised by her uncle in the Indian community of Tokyo. Asha's uncle wants her to marry a man she despises, a boorish, chain smoking airline pilot named Pran. Asha runs away after she discovers that the two men have cooked up a fiendish plot to get their hands on her sizable inheritance. Chikoo and Asha both end up in the same hiding place and form an alliance against their uncles. Asha protects the boy by posing as a bearded Sikh until she realizes that she has fallen in love with Ashok. She later pretends to be Chikoo's Japanese aunt in order to win Ashok's heart without being discovered. The movie has subplot involving a friend of Ashok's named Mahesh (popular comedian Mehmood) who comes to Tokyo to marry a woman from a higher class. There's a hilarious scene where Mehmood fools his potential father-in-law by posing as an "International Geisha" who just happens to speak Hindi fluently. Love in Tokyo contains the fast paced witty dialogue found in many Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn romantic comedies. It would have made an excellent 90 minute film but the actual length is almost twice that. The second half contains enough melodrama to fill a season of General Hospital and the ending is straight out of a James Bond movie. However it's important to remember that Bollywood is not Hollywood and moviegoers in each country have different expectations. The film contains two of the most beloved songs from Indian cinema: "Love in Tokyo" by Rafi Mohamed and "Sayonara" by Lata Mangeshkar. The latter is the reason that Japanese tourists in India are often greeted with a cheery "sayonara sayonara". Category: Indian Cinema Classics Romance Starring: Joy Mukherji Asha Parekh Mahmood Shubha Khote Pran Lalita Pawar Directed by: Pramod Chakrovorthy Produced by: Pramod Chakravorty Written by: Sachin Bhowmick

Japan unveils prototype of new maglev train, promises speeds of up to 311 mph

 More than a year after the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai) received construction approval to get going on its maglev railways, it has finally unveiled a Series L0 prototype that would put its current bullet train system to shame. Designed to travel at 311 mph, a single one of these high-speed marvels is designed to carry about 16 carriages, which translates to about 1,000 commuters. While Japanese travelers already enjoy a speedy 90-minute trip from Tokyo to Nagoya, this new maglev system promises to cut that journey to just 40 minutes.

Announced nearly five years ago, the project has since been extended to include an Osaka-Tokyo leg and will cost around nine trillion yen (approximately $112 billion) when all is said and done. Don't pack your bags just yet though; the maglev's Nagoya rail isn't scheduled to go live until 2027, and the boarding call for Osaka isn't until 2045. Of course, if you need to ride electromagnetic rails now, there's always China's Shanghai Transrapid, which has been ferrying passengers to and fro the Pudong airport since 2004 -- it once reached speeds of 501km/h (311mph). China's even planning a whopping 1,000 km/h vacuum-tube maglev train in just a year or so. Of course, those of us on the other end of the Pacific are still waiting for that long-delayed California-Nevada maglev project to work out.

Japanese Envoy Meets Narendra Modi

Japan's Ambassador to India today called on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and discussed possibilities of strengthening ties on industrial, economic and social development fronts with the state.

Takesai Yagi told Modi that a high-level business delegation from his country would be participating in the Vibrant Gujarat Investor Summit scheduled in January, an official statement said here.

Japan has signed a cooperation pact with India for 19 projects, of which seven are proposed in Gujarat. Two 'Smart City' projects have been proposed by Japan in Gujarat's industrial zones of Dahej and Sanand.

Modi assured Yagi full cooperation from his government to Japan for setting up a de-salination plant at Dahej where saline water will be converted into potable one, besides establishment of a high speed rail project at Dholera, it said.

The envoy showed interest in Gujarat's rooftop solar pilot project, the statement added.

The Chief Minister had visited Japan in July this year seeking to expand business ties between Gujarat and Asia's second largest economy.

Amaze to set pace for Honda’s diesel drive in India

 

Honda launched the Amaze sedan in Thailand on Friday, with India launch scheduled within the next six months. This strategy is similar to the one adopted for the Brio premium hatchback, which was first unveiled in Thailand two years ago, before making its way here.

The significant part of the Amaze, though, is that it will set the pace for Honda’s diesel agenda in India. The Japanese automaker has been losing out to rivals in recent years thanks to the huge price differential between petrol and diesel. This stems from India’s inability to deregulate diesel prices which has put pressure on the company.

With the Amaze entry-level sedan, Honda will finally have a diesel option to offer in a segment where prices typically start from a little over Rs 5 lakh (for petrol) going all the way to Rs 7.5 lakh. The higher price for the diesel version will hardly be an issue with buyers who still prefer paying more for a vehicle and then making the most of cheaper fuel during its lifetime.

As for Thailand, the Amaze will join the Brio hatchback in the Eco Car programme where the Government has offered a host of incentives to automakers as part of the drive towards cleaner emissions. The other Japanese players participating in the Eco Car plan include Nissan, Mitsubishi and Suzuki with Toyota expected to join the parade in the latter part of next year.

According to an auto industry veteran, India’s robust vendor base has the right skills which could be put to good use for Japanese carmakers’ projects across ASEAN. Thailand and Indonesia, he adds, will be the first part of a larger script which could soon include Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

From Honda’s point of view, growing its share in India will be top priority given the recent setbacks from the tsunami in Japan and the flooding in Thailand which disrupted supplies.

Sources say the Rajasthan factory could be the powerhouse of the future where large scale exports of engines and components will be a reality over the next few years.

It also remains to be seen if Honda will follow Toyota’s Latin America route where Brazil will be a key hub for the Etios after India.

As a top industry observer puts it, “There is no telling what will happen tomorrow. Nobody expected the Brio to be exported from India to South Africa.”

Fitch downgrades Sony, Panasonic to ‘junk’ status

Ratings agency Fitch downgraded the debt ratings of Japan’s Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp to “junk” status citing weakness in their consumer electronics and TV operations, further diminishing the lustre of the once-great Japanese brands.

The cut to below investment grade, the first by a ratings firm, comes as the floundering Japanese tech giants face weak demand and fierce competition from Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics.

A strong yen and bumps in China, where growth has slowed and Japanese goods have been targeted in sometimes violent protests recently, have also weighed on their earnings.

The two companies, along with Sharp Corp, racked up combined losses of $20 billion last year, leading them to axe jobs, sell assets and close facilities.

Reuters

“Both Sony and Panasonic are struggling to generate operating profits, but each is restructuring and I don’t envision the current situation continuing,” said Masahi Oda, Chief Investment Officer at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.
“A collapse of their core business would be a problem, but we are not at the point yet, and to me Fitch looks too negative,” Oda added.

Fitch downgraded Sony by three notches to BB-minus from BBB- minus, saying meaningful recovery will be slow. The move came after Sony, the maker of PlayStation game consoles and Vaio laptops, last week announced plans to raise 150 billion yen ($1.82 billion) through the sale of convertible bonds.
“Fitch believes that continuing weakness in the home entertainment and sound and mobile products and communications segments will offset the relatively stable music and pictures segments and improvement in the devices segment which makes semiconductors and components,” it said in statement.

In a separate statement, Fitch cut Panasonic to BB from BBB-minus, a two-notch downgrade, citing weakened competitiveness in its TVs and display panels as well as weak cash generation from its operations. It has a negative outlook on both the companies.
The downgrade sent Sony’s five-year credit default swaps (CDS), insurance-like contracts against debt default or restructuring, 5 basis points wider to 382.5/402.5 basis points.
Panasonic’s CDS for the same maturity were quoted at 295/315 basis points, 15 basis points wider than in Thursday morning Asian trade.
Standard & Poor’s rates the two consumer electronics makers at BBB, the second lowest of the investment grade, while Moody’s Investors Service has Baa3 on them, the lowest of the high-grade category.

With two of the three major ratings agencies still having the two companies as investment grade, institutional investors won’t face too great a pressure to cut their debt holdings in them, analysts said.
Sony shares shed 4.4 percent in Frankfurt on Thursday. The shares ended 1.8 percent higher at 834 yen in Tokyo before the Fitch announcement, trading not too far from their 32-year closing low of 793 yen hit on November 15. Sony stock is down 40 percent so far this year.

Panasonic shares were down 0.6 percent in Frankfurt in low volume. The stock inched up 0.7 percent to close at 407 yen in Tokyo trading, near its 34-year closing low of 385 yen reached on November 13.
Last month, Panasonic cut its forecast and warned it will lose close to $10 billion in the year to March, as it writes off billions of yen in tax-deferred assets and goodwill related to its mobile phone, solar panel and small lithium battery businesses.

Ahead of its earnings revision, Panasonic won $7.6 billion in loan commitments in October from banks including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, a funding backstop it says will help it avoid having to seek capital from credit markets.
Sony made a small operating profit in the July-September quarter, helped by the sale of a non-core chemicals business, and kept its forecast for a full-year profit of $1.63 billion.

For Sony optical drive requirement, India's 'like no other'

Japanese electronics major sources about 60% of its global optical drives from India

If you are watching a Hollywood blockbuster on a Sony blue-ray disc player or busy beating competition on the Sony PlayStation, chances are the optical drive powering your Sony device is made in India. The Japanese electronics behemoth, which sold 8.4 million PCs and notebooks, 7 million blue-ray disc players and 18 million of PlayStations last year, now sources about 60 per cent of its global optical drive requirements from India.

The trigger that brought such massive dependence on Indian shores was the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami that slammed into Japan in March 2011, quickly followed by the Thailand floods, that together severely impacted Sony's traditional procurement model for optical drives. Out to diversify their supply base, Sony, which has been producing optical drives at its own factory in Oski, Japan since April 2006, through its subsidiary Sony Optiarc, shipped the business to India.

“About 60 per cent of our optical drives are sourced from India now,” said Kenichiro Hibi, Managing Director, Sony India, explaining that the combined advantage of low cost and high quality, had allowed the electronics major to gradually enhanced sourcing of optical drives from India during the past few months. “It took almost six months to streamline the production and the supply chain," he added. Earlier, too, Sony would source a small volume of optical drives, used in notebooks, audio, video players and play stations, from Indian vendors, but not at this scale.

The volume of Sony’s global requirement of optical drives is sizeable. In FY2011, Sony had sold 8.4 million PCs, including notebooks, 7 million blue-ray disc players and 18 million of PlayStations (2 and 3) globally, according to its annual report.All these products come with optical drives fitted in.

Interestingly, Sony had, in August, announced that it would eject manufacturing optical drives and close down Sony Optiarc that has about 15 per cent share of the optical drives market globally. The operations would be shut down by March 2013. That may mean that the dependence on India could increase, although Sony India did not comment on this directly. "We would continue sourcing optical drives from India,” said Hibi.

This brings a sizeable opportunity for Indian optical drive manufacturers, though globally the optical drive market is not growing. According to a report by market intelligence firm iHS iSuppli, total shipment of optical disk drives is expected to be at 299.8 million units in 2012 globally, marginal increase from 297.7 units in 2011.

When asked, Sony declined to reveal the names of the companies that make optical drives for Sony in India. Earlier, Taiwan based Liteon used to make optical drives for Sony before it had started producing on its own through Optiarc. Liteon also has a unit in India.

Chhattisgarh steel makers urge NMDC to cut iron ore prices

The National Mineral Development Corporation ( NMDC ) is allegedly exporting iron ore to Japan at a price that is one-third of the price that domestic industry is paying for the steel making raw material.

The steel makers in Chhattisgarh are mulling a plan to block the transportation of iron ore from the NMDC facility if the mining major fails to take any decision to cut the price. Of the three 3 fully mechanised mines of the NMDC, Bailadila Deposit-14/11C, and Bailadila Deposit-5,10/11A are in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. The facilities in Chhattisgarh produce maximum iron ore.

“The NMDC is exporting iron ore to Japan for Rs 1527 a tonne while the domestic industrialists are getting iron ore from the company at a price of Rs 5390 per tonne,” Chhattisgarh Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association President Anil Nachrani said. The sponge iron manufacturers and steel makers in the state have held a series of meetings to prepare the strategy for lodging protest against the discrimination.Umesh Agrawal, the former Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said they had brought the matter to the notice of the Government of India, Chhattisgarh Government and NMDC management with a request to protect the interests of the domestic industry. “We want NMDC to sell iron ore at the same price at which it is selling the raw material to Japan,” Agrawal said.

Chhattisgarh has about 100 sponge iron units—about one third of country’s 300 sponge iron units located in West Bengal, Orissa, and Karnataka. The local industrialists are getting about 3 Million Tonnes of iron ore from NMDC, which is exporting equal quantity of iron ore to Japan.Agrawal quoting the senior officials of the ministry concerned said that due to bi-lateral ties, NMDC was probably selling iron ore to Japan at a much cheaper price. “But there was no logic in collecting three time more rate from the domestic industry,” he added.

In reality, Nachrani said, it was a national loss as NMDC had to incur a revenue loss of Rs 1000 crore by selling rich mineral to other country at a nominal price. “The industrialists in the state have decided to lodge a vehement campaign against NMDC in Chhattisgarh if it failed to take necessary action,” Nachrani added.As a first step, the industrialists are planning to stage rail rook agitation to block transportation of iron ore from NMDC facility to Visakhapatnam from where it is shipped to Japan.

The NMDC officials did not respond to an e-mail sent for its version on the issue.

4 budding Indian scientists win a trip to Japan

Four budding scientists from India are to visit Japan to enhance their science quotient, thanks to BrainCafé Budding Scientist Contest 2012, an initiative by Zee learn which is a national level hunt for scientific talent in students.

On the concluding day of the contest on Sunday, 49 shortlisted students from the initial 9,000 candidates, presented their innovative science projects. Students from class 1 to class 8 from different schools across the nation took part.

The contest ended with the announcing of four winners, one from each category, won an all-expenses paid trip to Japan. One of the winners, Mallika Manu, a class 6 student of Stan Knowledge School in Vasai, made an impact with her project on flying objects.

The second year of the conetst saw projects ranging from disaster management techniques, lifting water without electricity, creating light house, and energy and water conservation.
The contest was judged by an esteemed panel which included Arvind Paranjpye, director of Nehru Planetarium, Achyut Godbole, MD, Softexcel Consultancy Services and Mahendra Khandkar, associate professor in physics, Pillai Institute of Information Technology (PIIT).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Subhash Chandra, chairman of Essel Group, said, “These children will lead the future of our country. We are certain that in future, we will witness the emergence of several innovative scientists in our country. It is a process we have started with BrainCafé. We believe it should be applicable in every school.”

Sony sources 60% optical drives from India

Firm increased sourcing from countries like India after manufacturing base was hit by tsunami and Thai floods

Japanese electronics major Sony sources about 60 per cent of its global requirement of optical drives from India, said Kenichiro Hibi, Managing Director, Sony India.

The company, which used to produce all optical drives at its own factory run by its wholly owned subsidiary Sony Optiarc, had increased sourcing from countries like India after its manufacturing base was severely affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March last year, followed by disastrous flood in Thailand later last year.

The natural calamities had severely affected the company’s supply chain and the shortage in power supply in Japan had forced Sony, like many other electronics manufacturers in the country, to curtail production.


“It took almost six months to streamline the production and the supply chain,” said Hibi, adding that Sony had started spread its manufacturing of different products in different countries like China and Malaysia.

Though optical drives market is declining globally, Sony would need optical drives that include CD, DVD and blue-ray drives, for its notebooks, game consoles and home entertainment products. “We would continue sourcing optical drives from India,” said Hibi, adding that the percentage of sourcing of the product has increased in the past one year, especially after its production base was affected by natural disastrous. However, he did not want to comment on if the company would further increase sourcing from India.

In FY2011, Sony had sold 8.4 million PCs, including notebooks, 7 million blue-ray disc players and 18 million of Playstations (2 and 3) globally, according to its annual report. These are the products that carry optical drives with it.

Interestingly in August, Sony had announced that it would eject manufacturing optical drives and close down Sony Optiarc that has about 15 per cent share of the optical drives market globally. The operations would be shut down by March 2013.

True, this brings a sizeable opportunity for Indian optical drive manufacturers, though globally the optical drive market is not growing. According to a report by market intelligence firm iHS iSuppli, total shipment of optical disk drives is expected to be at 299.8 million units in 2012 globally, marginal increase from 297.7 units in 2011.

When asked, Sony declined to reveal the names of the companies that make optical drives for Sony in India. Earlier, Taiwan based Liteon used to make optical drives for Sony before it had started producing on its own through Optiarc. Liteon also has a unit in India.

From Japan: Music, poetry, peace and healing

"Legends of Kokuryo Rediscovered", a performance of music, ancient poetry and Shamanistic rites by piano therapist Idaki Shin and poet Keiko Koma from Japan, after touring 109 destinations across the world, will open to Indian audiences for the first time.

The concert, presented by the Japan Foundation, will begin with a piano recital Sunday by Idaki Shin in the national capital. It will conclude with a musical gala at Purana Qila Dec 2.
"The Legends of Kokuryo" addresses the turbulence in the world's conflict zones and uses chants and music from the ancient pre-Buddhist Japanese traditions to bring about healing and peace.
Pianist Idaki Shin says that the concert would allow listeners to identify distress areas and encourage healing by using cosmic energy.

The performance has already evoked applause from audiences in Azerbaijan, Iran, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Georgia and conflict-ridden areas of Russia, besides Japan.

Shin said that India and Japan share a connection that springs from ancient spirituality.
"Most of the ancient Japanese and East Asian rites can be traced back to India's pre-Buddhist days. Every year thousands of Japanese people travel to India to experience mystical moments," Shin said.

Shin said that the performance was aimed at deepening the understanding between the two cultures and offers an opportunity to "explore world views".

"I have this special power to remove negative influences. But I often cannot connect to people because of differences in language. The sound of the piano became a means to convey energies, atmospherics and feelings to the audience, and to participants in my counselling session," Idaki Shin told IANS.
"It happens this way: a person who is experiencing an ache in the tummy goes through more pain when I begin my music, but as the concert progresses, the person who is suffering feels a warmth spreading around his stomach. My music clarifies the area around the suffering," he said, explaining that he uses what he terms the "heating process" to identify different energies that he could harness for healing.
Shin, who worked as a social welfare officer in Japan, began to study philosophy at 20 years old; he later discovered the healing power of the piano.

He plays the ancient Japanese Kukuryo flute too and the traditional "sho" reed pipe instrument, with a standard of 17 pipes and 15 reeds.
"The two traditional flutes were originally designed to revive the divine energy, something from an invisible world of souls. I will demonstrate how the Shamanistic tradition has influenced me," Shin said.
The pianist will be accompanied by Keiko Koma, a scion of the erstwhile Kokuryo dynasty which ruled modern-day Korea in northeast Asia, until it was defeated by the Silla-Tang alliance in the 7th century.
Koma, a poet, will narrate her poetry to Shin's music.

Koma, an honorary citizen of Lebanon, speaks of the ancient culture of Japan and Korea, the lands of her origin. She often sings her compositions and sometimes moves her audience to tears.

'Japan hopes for more economic and military ties with India'

As an economic force, India is like a mammoth elephant which is growing bigger and bigger everyday and we are looking forward to having more economic and military ties between the two countries. This is what Kazushige Hiraishi, the vice consul at the consulate general of Japan in Mumbai said about the present status of Indo-Japan relations.

Here to preside over the second All India Bonsai convention and Exhibition, which is being organized by Vadodara's Banyan Bonsai Club in collaboration with Bonsai Study group of the Indo-Japanese Association, aided by the Japanese government, Kazushige Hiraishi met TOI on the sidelines of the conference to talk about Indo-Japan ties.

"We hope that Mr Singh (Indian PM Dr Manmohan Singh) is able to visit Japan in the near future. We are looking forward to his visit," the vice consul said in connection with the recently cancelled visit of PM to Japan. Indo-Japan relations are now 60 years old and are expected to grow further in future, he added.

Infosys Launches "India in a Box" for Japanese Companies

Expansion across India made simple; Japanese firms get robust IT infrastructure in just eight weeks

Infosys, a global leader in consulting and technology, today announced the launch of a new solution called "India in a Box" for its Japanese clients. The new solution is based on industry-standard Microsoft Dynamics NAV. It enables Japanese companies to jumpstart their business operations in India in a shorter time by moving to a robust IT infrastructure in just eight weeks. The pre-packaged solution is tailor-made for the unique Indian market, addressing issues such as local taxation and accounting.

Key functionalities of the solution tailored for specific requirements in India include:

• Financial Management - To support the International Accounting Standards Committee and complies with Indian GAAP (general accounting, account receivable/payable, budget control, fixed asset management, period-end closing operations).
• Supply Chain Management - To facilitate sales, purchasing, inventory, warehouse management.
• Production Management- To track requirement planning and bill of materials, manufacturing order creation, production planning and processes and scheduling.
• Service, Resource, & Project Management- To maintain service contracts and track project costs, milestones and budget utilization.
• Employee Management - To maintain comprehensive employee details including master employee list, skill sets and attendance.
• Customer Management - To collate customer information, payment and delivery terms

Tomoyuki Nakanishi, Group Senior Manager, Dynamics Product Group, Microsoft Japan, said: "Japanese firms are looking to grow in India, which is why 'India in a Box' is such a valuable resource. What used to take years - learning how to navigate the often-complicated Indian marketplace - now takes a matter of weeks. Japanese companies can use this innovative Infosys product as their all-in-one business solution."
V. Sriram, Head of Japan, Infosys Ltd., said: "With this new solution Infosys has tried to address one of the biggest issues facing Japanese companies entering the Indian market: The sometimes rocky interface between a new location and Tokyo headquarters. With 'India in a Box,' firms can easily establish the interface with the Enterprise Resource Planning in the home office. Executives in Tokyo can manage the sales and production of their Indian operations on a daily basis without a hitch. 'India in a Box' is all about improving real time decision-making and governance."
Infosys set up its Japan operations in 1997. Today it has offices in Tokyo and Nagoya with more than 200 employees. For more information log on to  http://www.infosys.com/jp

The Hindu-Hitachi Scholarships in Japan

Hitachi Ltd., Japan and The Hindu offers Technical Training Scholarships for Indian Students in Japan 2013.
 Trainees shall be during their training, under the supervision and direction of Hitachi, which has full discretion on scope, mode, duration and place of establishment of their training. Training will not be available in the R&D activities of Hitachi. They will be subject to the rules and regulations and the discipline of the establishment to which they are posted.4. Selected trainees will be provided with return Economy Class air passage. Arrangements will also be made for free Boarding and
 Lodging for trainees in Japan and to defray all expenses for travelling in Japan which may be considered necessary for their training. Parents or Guardians of selected candidates shall guarantee their good conduct and shall undertake to pay for their repatriation should their conduct be found unsatisfactory by Hitachi Ltd., or any public authority in Japan or in case the selected candidates desire to discontinue their studies in Japan for any reason whatsoever during the period of their scholarship.

Study Subjects: IT Solutions and Services, Thermal Power, Power Generation Plant & Power Grid Control Systems Engineering,  Rail Systems and Transportation Control
 Eligibility:
 1. Candidates who must be Indian citizens, should not have completed 30 years of age on 31-03-2013 and should be in possession of the minimum Degree of B.E., or B.Sc. (Engg.) or its equivalent from any recognized University.
 2. The scholarships are tenable in Japan for principally six months commencing about July 2013. Trainees may have general training in one of the following product fields of Hitachi Ltd., (Hitachi) for example (1) IT Solutions and Services (2) Thermal Power (3) Power Generation Plant & Power Grid Control Systems Engineering 4) Rail Systems and 5) Transportation Control System Engineering, being subject to the convenience of each of Hitachi’s establishments. During the training, there will be special emphasis on environment-related and energy-saving technologies.
 Scholarship Application Deadline: December 31, 2012.
 Further Scholarship Information and Application: http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01259/hitachi-2012_1259496a.pdf
NBHM Scholarships for Doctoral Programme in Mathematics in India
 
PhD Scholarships in Mathematics  to Study at Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai, Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Allahabad and IISER, Pune, India 2013
The National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM) invites applications for the grant of scholarships to students for pursuing research for a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics.
Eligibility:
 Applicants must be motivated B.A./B.Sc./B.Tech. /B.E./M.A./M.Sc. degree holders or final year students of these degree courses. They must have a good academic record (1st Class or equivalent grade in all years from +2 level to the present. B.Sc (Honors) students with second class may also apply.
What does it cover?
 Successful candidates will be eligible to receive a scholarship amount of Rs. 16,000/- (Rs Sixteen thousand only) per month for the first and second year and Rs 18,000/- (Rs Eighteen thousands only) per month for subsequent years, a contingency grant of Rs. 20,000/- (Rs. Twenty thousand only) per year and house rent allowance as per central government norms wherever applicable.
 Scholarship Application Deadline:  November 30, 2012
 For Further Information and Application: http://www.nbhm.dae.gov.in/docs/AdvtPhD13-14.pdf

Louis Dreyfus-Weidenfeld Scholarship Program in UK
 The Louis Dreyfus – Weidenfeld Scholarship and Leadership Programme Scheme supports outstanding postgraduate students from transition and emerging economies throughout Africa, Asia and South America. Hunger and malnutrition are the number one risks to health worldwide. It is for this reason the Louis Dreyfus Foundation has been created. Its mission is to support initiatives that improve nutrition and food security in developing regions. Through education, research and other means the Foundation hopes to enhance people’s lives and create a more sustainable planet. The Louis Dreyfus Foundation is participating in various initiatives to support this mission, among them there is the Louis Dreyfus – Weidenfeld Scholarship and Leadership Programme.
Study Subjects: Anthropology,  Area Studies,  Chemistry – Organic Chemistry, Computer Science, Development Studies, Earth Science, Ecological Survey Techniques, Economics, Engineering Science, Geography and the Environment, Politics and International Relations, Interdisciplinary Bio science, Law, Management Studies, Materials, Oxford Internet Institute, Pharmacology, Plant Sciences, Public Health, Public Policy, Social Policy and Intervention and Statistics.
 Course Level: Scholarship is available for pursuing graduate degree level.
 Eligibility:
 -Candidates should be applying to start a new graduate course at Oxford. They should also be intending to return to their countries or regions of origin once their courses are completed.
 -Please ensure you meet the requirements for entry to your course, including the necessary English language qualifications. See the Course Guide for more information.
-Eligible candidates must hold an undergraduate degree and be an ordinary resident of a country in Africa, Asia or South America.  The Louis Dreyfus – Weidenfeld Scholarship and Leadership Programme targets future leaders pursuing diverse careers within the agro-business sector with a focus on improving food security and sustainability. Successful applicants must demonstrate an interest in serving the global community through their chosen field of work, including but not limited to, agriculture, health care, environmental and water management, economic, public and foreign policy.
 Scholarship Application Deadline: January 2013
 Further Information and Application: http://www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/prospectivegrad/scholarships/university
/louisdreyfus-weidenfeld/#Am

IMF Scholarships for Asian Students in Japan
The Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia (JISPA) was first introduced in 1993  It is funded by the Government of Japan, administered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and conducted at various graduate schools in Japan  Its objective is to contribute to institutional capacity building in economic policymaking to promote the sustainable growth of emerging and developing economies in Asia and the Pacific  By training future macroeconomic managers in these countries, the JISPA aims to enable them to better formulate sound economic and financial stability policies needed for sustainable growth and development . The program comprises two tracks: the partnership track and the open track. The partnership track of the JISPA allows scholars to study a specially designed graduate level course concentrating on macroeconomics at an IMF partnership university. The open track of the JISPA provides support to scholars who wish to study graduate-level macroeconomics or a related field at either the master’s or Ph D level at any leading university in Japan  However, priority is given to Ph D  candidates  It is geared towards highly motivated officials who are able to identify a course of study in Japan suitable to their professional pursuits in the public sector and supportive of their future work as an economic policy maker.
Study Subjects: The universities offer subjects that cover essential elements that will allow scholars to enter the macroeconomic policy dialogue at an international level. All of the universities have a strong macroeconomic  oriented focus on:
 (1) macroeconomic policy formulation;
 (2) central banking and monetary policy;
 (3) financial markets and institutions.
 Course Level:
 For Partnership Track: JISPA allows scholars to study a specially designed graduate level course concentrating on macroeconomics at an IMF partnership university.
 For Open Track: JISPA provides support to scholars who wish to study graduate-level macroeconomics or a related field at either the master’s or Ph D level at any leading university in Japan.
 Eligibility:
  -Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent with at least 16 years of formal education
 -Applicants must have an English language proficiency, which needs to be demonstrated as equivalent to or more than an official TOEFL score of 550, CBT213, or iBT79-80.  If TOEFL scores are not available, then an overall IELTS score of at least 6 0 can be substituted.
Scholarship Application Deadline:
 For Partnership Track: The application deadline for the partnership track is December 10, 2012.
 For Open Track: There is no application deadline and applications are accepted and reviewed year-round.
 For Further Information and Application: http://www.imf.org/external/oap/pdf/JISPA2013_web.pdf 

Research Position in Plant Breeding at International Rice Research Institute in Philippines
 Research Position in Plant Breeding for Developing Countries Students at International Rice Research Institute in Philippines 2012
The successful candidate will assist in the evaluation of rice grains for micronutrient content using X-ray Flourescence Spectrometer (XRF) or other available advanced molecular technology tools. She/he assists in conduct of phenotypic evaluation of advanced progenies, seed inventory and tracking. She/he coordinates data collection and management for both genotypic and phenotypic analysis.
 Study Subject: Plant Breeding
 Course Level: Research
 Eligibility:
- BS in Plant Breeding, Agronomy, Biology and other related fields
 - At least one year relevant experience preferably in the field
 - Background in Agronomy, Biology and Crop Protection, experience in data collection and analysis
  Scholarship Application Deadline: 11/22/2012
 For Further Information and Application: http://irri.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id
=420&Itemid=100219&lang=en

India continues to offer vast opportunities to foreign banks

In January this year, Swiss financial services giant Credit Suisse acted as investment banker for a deal in which Japan's NTT Communications bought a majority stake in Mumbai-based data centre service provider Netmagic Solutions for Rs 640 crore. Credit Suisse, however, earned more than what it usually does from such deals in India.

"This was because we provided a range of other banking services too, including foreign exchange solutions," says Mihir Doshi, CEO, Credit Suisse India.

Had the bank not set up its first India branch in Mumbai last year, and started commercial banking operations, he would not have been able to do so. "Having a bank branch levelled the playing field," he adds.

It is just not Credit Suisse that has, of late, seen merit in launching commercial banking in India. As many as 10 foreign banks from countries as diverse as Australia, China, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland and Russia have entered India in the last three years.

Foreign banks now constitute the largest segment of scheduled commercial banks in the country. According to Reserve Bank of India data, there are 41 foreign banks, 26 state-run lenders and 20 private-sector banks in the country.

So what explains this rush to enter India? "The Indian banking sector is well regulated and offers considerable access to foreign banks," says Kalpana Morparia, India CEO of J.P. Morgan. Foreign banks hope that India will open up its banking sector even further.

Shinjini Kumar, Director for tax and regulatory services at audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, says hopes of further liberalisation as well as the opportunities arising from India's growing economy are luring foreign banks.

Adds Sanjiv Bhasin, the India CEO at the Singapore-based DBS Bank: "If the Indian economy grows at five per cent, the financial services sector will typically grow three times faster, at about 15 per cent."

Foreign banks are also looking to tap into the opportunities arising from greater trade flows. Take the case of the Toronto-based Bank of Nova Scotia, which has five branches in the country. Its India CEO Sanjeev Mittal says trade between India and Canada is set to triple to C$15 billion (Rs 82,500 crore) in three years. "As Canada's most international bank we are well positioned to take advantage of this growth," he says.

The latest opportunity foreign banks see is in the retail sector. The government recently allowed overseas companies in multi-brand retail and removed the cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail. J.P. Morgan's Morparia says this will provide more opportunities to foreign banks once investment in retail gathers the required traction.

Foreign banks are also preparing for the internationalisation of Indian business. "As Indian companies go global they need banking support and it is not possible for Indian banks to be present all over the world. Foreign banks have the network," says Morparia.

Mahendran Moodley, the India CEO of South Africa's FirstRand Bank, the first African lender to start operations here, offers a similar argument. " Our rationale for entering India is to offer the African value proposition to Indian companies interested in Africa," he says.

These banks see a larger role for themselves in the future. Kaku Nakhate, President and India head at Bank of America, says a growing local economy will require a massive amount of capital and state-run banks alone will not be able to meet that demand. Foreign banks will then be well placed to bridge this gap.

India is a profitable market as well for foreign lenders. The country is the fifth most profitable market for Deutsche Bank globally and its most profitable emerging market. "If you really want to monetise the market opportunity in India you need to embrace it unconditionally," says Ravneet Gill, CEO, Deutsche Bank India. "You have to come in with a big-bang investment."

But India's attraction also comes with a set of challenges. Banking is still licensed and so is branch expansion. Foreign banks are not allowed to acquire local banks. This explains why, despite decades of presence, they account for just 323 branches of the total 81,240 bank branches in the country and a share in advances and deposits of barely five per cent.

"We have the capability to become a large retail bank. For that we need a partner or we should acquire an existing bank," says Moodley. The new priority-sector norms issued in July are also discomforting. Foreign banks with more than 20 branches will now have to give 40 per cent of their loans to priority sectors such as agriculture. The current limit is 32 per cent. The limit for banks with less than 20 branches remains 32 per cent. "This is the conundrum we foreign banks face," says Moodley. "Should we cross the tipping point of 20 branches?"

Still, for most foreign banks the opportunities far outweigh these difficulties. Deutsche Bank's Gill puts it best: "We don't see any challenge that we presently face in India as a showstopper."

Japan to give loan of $2.26bn to India

Japan will give a fresh loan of about $2.26 billion for the second phase of Dedicated Freight Corridor and an infrastructure project in South India, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Tuesday told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as they met here, making up for an opportunity lost a few days ago.

Dr Singh, while welcoming the announcement of loan, emphasised to Mr Noda that India’s priority was investments by Japanese companies in infrastructure projects like Delhi Metro rail, which was a “fine example” other cities want to emulate.

The two leaders were to meet in Tokyo on November 16 during Dr Singh’s scheduled three-day visit beginning November 15 for annual summit.
However, the visit was cancelled just a day ahead in view of sudden political developments in Japan with Mr Noda deciding to announce elections.
During the meeting on Tuesday on the sidelines of East Asia Summit, Mr Noda expressed happiness at being able to meet Dr Singh to underline the close strategic and global partnership between the two countries, sources said.

He told Dr Singh that he wanted to discuss the next steps in the relationship since they could not meet in Tokyo for the annual summit due to domestic developments in Japan, they said.

Mr Noda informed Dr Singh that Japan will be announcing the second round of loans under Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) for the second phase of the Dedicated Freight Corridor and a third infrastructural project in South India, where Japanese companies have a good presence, the sources said.
The fresh loan amount is expected to be 184 billion yen, approximately $2.26 billion.

The Japanese Prime Minister also mentioned Japanese interest in continuing the consultation on the high-speed railways.

Both the Prime Ministers expressed happiness on the signing of the MoU on rare earths and the agreement on social security signed on November 16 in Tokyo.

Japan’s Air Force Chief on a three-day visit to India

Aiming to strengthen military ties, Japanese Chief of Air Self Defence Force General Haruhiko Kataoka on Monday embarked on a three-day visit to India.

The Japanese General called on IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne and interacted with senior air officers at the air headquarters here, IAF said in a release.

The visit assumes special significance in light of the improving military cooperation between the two countries in consonance with India's growing relationship with Japan, it said.
During the visit, Gen Kataoka is scheduled to visit Western Air Command here along with the Paratroopers Training School at Agra and the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment at Bangalore.

High level defence staff talks and exchanges between the Japanese and Indian armed forces with focus on regional and international security and steps to increase defence cooperation and exchanges have considerably improved our military to military relations, the release said.

The two countries have been enhancing their defence ties in the recent times and have also agreed to hold exercises between their armed forces also.

Defence Minister AK Antony had also visited Tokyo recently and Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma had also gone there last month to take part in a security dialogue.

Honda CBR250R sports bike recalled in India over faulty front disc brake

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd, a completely owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Company Limited Japan, has announced a recall that will affect 11,500 of their CBR250R sports bikes in the country. The CBR250R motorcycles affected by this recall include all those sold in India till September 2012. Honda India launched CBR250R in India in March 2011.

In a statement released by HMSI, they stated, "In accordance with its global commitment to provide maximum customer satisfaction and highest quality products, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) is announcing the recall of CBR 250R Standard variant motorcycle." Honda also added that their dealers throughout the country have started notifying respective owners of CBR250R about the fault in front disc brake and requested them to visit the dealership at the earliest. Honda will be fixing this fault for free and it will take about an hour to fix the faulty disc brake of CBR250R.

Speaking about the problem, HMSI said, "There is a possibility of limited ineffectiveness in front brake application, though this concern doesn't impact the overall braking functionality and effectiveness of front and rear brakes under normal riding conditions. Honda will rectify the problem free of cost, irrespective to the warranty status of the vehicle."

Honda CBR250R is currently available at a base price of Rs 1.48 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Speaking more about this recall, HMSI said, "This voluntary move, the first time by any two-wheeler manufacturer in India, is intrinsic to Honda's pro-activeness as a responsible manufacturer, which will further enhance ownership experience and strengthen customer trust and confidence in the brand."

Infosys launches solution for Japanese companies

Infosys, a global leader in consulting and technology, has announced the launch of a new solution called "India in 46 Box" for its Japanese clients.

The new solution is based on industry-standard Microsoft Dynamics NAV. It enables Japanese companies to jumpstart their business operations in India In a shorter time by moving to a robust IT infrastructure in just eight weeks.

The pre-packaged solution is tailor-made for the unique Indian market, addressing issues such as local taxation and accounting.

Tomoyuki Nakanishi, group senior manager, Dynamics Product Group, Microsoft Japan, said: "Japanese firms are looking to grow in India, which is why 'India in a Box' is such a valuable resource. What used to take years - learning how to navigate the often-complicated Indian marketplace - now takes a matter of weeks. Japanese companies can use this innovative Infosys product as their all-in-one business solution." V Sriram, Head of Japan, Infosys, said: "With this new solution Infosys has tried to address one of the biggest issues facing Japanese companies entering the Indian market: The sometimes rocky interface between a new location and Tokyo headquarters.

With 'India in a Box,' firms can easily establish the interface with the Enterprise Resource Planning in the home office. Executives in Tokyo can manage the sales and production of their Indian operations on a daily basis ·without a hitch. 'India in a Box' is all about improving real time decision-making and governance." (c) 2012 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited

Omron Healthcare eyeing for sales of $43 mn by FY15

Omron Healthcare India, part of Japanese conglomerate Omron Corporation, is looking at over three-fold increase in sales here to touch USD 43 million (over Rs 235 crore) by end of FY15 on back of new product launches and network expansion.

"I am confident that we will increase our sales to USD 43 million by FY15 from present USD 14 million," Omron Healthcare India Managing Director Shinya Tomoda told PTI.

The sales target would be achieved by increasing the number of retail outlets across the country from the current 15,000 to 33,900 by the end of FY2014-15 and by new product launches, he added.

Omron Healthcare provides both home-use and professional medical equipment, including blood pressure monitors, body composition analysers (body fat monitors), thermometers, pedometers and nebulisers.

The company is also targeting to extend its presence in smaller cities as part of its expansion plans.

"Right now we are present in Tier-I cities but we are concentrating on going to Tier-II cities a part of our growth strategy," Tomoda said.

The company at present imports products for India via Singapore. It is now planning to import the products directly from the parent's manufacturing facilities from next year.

"From May, 2013 we will purchase the goods from factories in Vietnam, China and Japan directly," he added.

The company that is a major supplier of home-use healthcare devices is also targeting the hospitals as part of its business expansion plans.
"We are in touch with private hospitals like Max, Apollo and Fortis for our products," Tomoda said.

No going back on FDI in retail: Indian minister

While interacting with the media yesterday, the Indian government was on the offensive and launched a counterattack on the opposition’s threat to challenge permission to foreign companies in multi-brand retail by maintaining that the decision was  “cast in stone”.

“Never in the history of Indian democracy have executive decisions been dragged into Parliament. The government is confident of facing any challenge and will continue with the good work. The prime minister and [United Progressive Alliance chairperson] Sonia Gandhi have demonstrated this policy is cast in stone,’’ said Industry and Commerce Minister  Anand Sharma, while briefing newspersons accompanying Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh.

Sharma was very clear about the government’s stand on the issue and this would surely help Singh as he meets various world leaders from the 10 Asean countries and dialogue partners such as the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Globally and domestically too the government's ability to implement various policy decisions is being questioned constantly.

 Sharma was also not easy on the media when questioned about the timing of the decision by pointing out that when the government took a decision, its legitimacy was questioned. But when decisions were delayed or trapped in controversy, then it was quickly labelled as “policy paralysis’’ and used to criticise it.

 “It is high time, reality dawns on all of us that sensationalism in recent years has caused enormous damage to India’s image and hurt the economy. There has been constant dialogue and so I am surprised by this talk about good and bad timing executive decision. The decision was taken after intensive consultations with stakeholders for over two years. The government has responded constantly and being a union of states decision, has left the decision [to implement or not to implement] to member states. Agrarian states who have been urging the importance of this initiative can’t be denied,’’ said  Sharma.

India, Japan ink pact on rare earths export

With China tightening control over the export of rare earth mineral used in mobile phones, hybrid cars and missile guidance systems, Japan on Friday inked a trade pact to import over 4,000 tonnes of the rare earths from India - second largest producer in the world.

The pact, along with an agreement for social security, was signed between the two countries despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh putting off his Tokyo trip.
The agreement on the trade of rare earth minerals has come at a time when the world’s largest producer China -- which has 95 per cent of world output -- has restricted the export of the rare earth minerals by levying taxes and fixing quotas. Announcing the signing of the agreement on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs said: “The conclusion and signing of these agreements will further enhance and strengthen the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership.” 

The MoU was signed between the Department of Atomic Energy and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on Cooperation. The export of the rare earth minerals is expected to start by next year.
As Sino-Japanese relations are undergoing strain over the islands in the East China Sea, Japan is looking for diversification of the suppliers of the rare earth minerals. India has huge reserves of the minerals in Odisha. India remains a distant second to China in terms of rare earths mining.

As per the US Geological urvey in 2010, China produced 1.3 lakh tonnes while India’s output was 2,700 tonnes. India is in talks with Japan to invest in the Odisha plant but there has been no consensus so far.

Anritsu Corporation opens India Subsidiary

The Japan headquartered Anritsu Corporation, a global provider of innovative communications test and measurement solutions, announced the opening of 100 per cent India subsidiary in Bangalore today.
The new office brings together the functions of marketing, sales, engineering, services, and support. The company also plans to start a branch office operation in Noida within this fiscal year, according to a release here.

Anritsu Corporation Senior Executive Vice President Kenji Tanaka said 'India's emerging market is part of our overseas business expansion strategy; the telecommunications industry will witness further growth due to the new telecom policy and will continuously outpace its global counterparts. We foresee India business growth by 20 per cent per cent annually with the increased demand for test & measurement equipments.'
'Through our stronger presence in India we aim to enhance our sales in the Indian market significantly,' she added. Anritsu has plans to expand the Direct and Indirect Sales Network in India to cover all the Segments and Geographies. 

India-Japan inks strategic agreements

An agreement over Indo-Japan Social Security was signed by the Ambassador of India to Japan Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa and Japan Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba.

A memorandum between the Department of Atomic Energy of India and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan was also signed on cooperation in the rare earths industry in India.

The second deal was signed by Wadhwa and Japan Vice Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Nobuhiko Sasaki.

According to the agreement, Japan can now import rare earth minerals from India, which will reduce its dependence on China for materials to produce hi tech products.

On the other hand, the Social Security agreement will provide security to the Indians working in Japan and vice-versa.

India, Japan sign two agreements in Tokyo

The Governments of India and Japan signed two agreements in Tokyo on Friday.

The first agreement was for cooperation on social security, and it was signed by Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, Ambassador of India to Japan, and Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba.

The second pact signed was a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Atomic Energy of India and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on cooperation in the rare earths industry in India.

Ambassador Wadhwa and Japan's Vice Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Nobuhiko Sasaki signed the agreement.

The signing of the agreement comes just days after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cancelled a proposed bilateral visit to Japan after Tokyo informed that it could be going in for a change of government in the coming week.

Japan's Hottest Commodity: Water

Morihiro Oguma’s phone rang every day with calls from brokers representing foreign investors who wanted to buy his Japan Mineral water-bottling business. “In many cases I was told I could name my price,” Oguma says, adding that he has no interest in selling the Hokkaido-based company. “It seems what they really wanted was our rights to groundwater.”

A two-decade slump in Japan’s real estate prices and the country’s lax rules on selling foreigners forestland with water rights attached are attracting overseas investors, with the Chinese leading the pack. Some areas of remote woodland in Japan, the only country in the Asia-Pacific region that doesn’t regulate property investment by foreigners, can be bought for just 60¢ a square meter, including the groundwater beneath. Groundwater is the water from rain and snow that seeps into the land, where it eventually ends up in aquifers that can be tapped by drilling a well.

Japan ranks in the top 10 percent of countries by water resources, while China and India will face shortages starting in 2030, according to an August report from the United Nations. HSBC (HBC) analysts estimate that almost half of China’s economy is already based in water-scarce regions. The UN has warned that two-thirds of the globe may be “water-stressed” by 2015, while parched locales such as India’s Rajasthan region have already banned new bottling plants and breweries to conserve aquifers.
In Japan, the biggest spike in forest purchases by foreigners has come in Hokkaido, its northern island. It’s about the size of Austria and has triple the average water reserves of other Japanese prefectures, according to Hokkaido government figures. The island has about 60,000 square kilometers (23,170 square miles) of forest, a quarter of the nation’s total. While the land owned by non-Japanese investors remains small—37 sq. km.—almost a third of the foreigner-owned land is on Hokkaido. China leads the purchases of Hokkaido forest and water rights with 21 transactions out of a total of 57. Hong Kong buyers using Virgin Islands-registered offshore companies accounted for another nine and Singapore investors eight, says Masayuki Mitobe, the head of water and land economic research for Hokkaido’s government. He says he cannot name the investors due to privacy laws.

Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi says she’s concerned about the lack of information about some of these land purchases and the development plans of overseas investors. “There emerged cases where we weren’t sure about the reasons why investors were purchasing such vast areas of land,” Takahashi said in a Tokyo press conference on Oct. 18.

Chinese investors have been eyeing the water assets in Japan with the idea of exporting bottled water back to China, says Hokuto Okudera, head of M&A Support, a Tokyo-based broker focusing on mergers and acquisitions for small and mid-sized companies. The safety of drinking water is a big issue in China. The Chinese investors may also want to cultivate crops for export to their home country, or even set up factories, such as steel and paper mills, that require lots of water. This kind of investment is a sensitive issue in Japan, which clashed in September with China over the ownership of the islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

Near Mount Fuji, Osaka-based Seven Yellow pumps 500,000 liters of water a month from a well and exports as much as 80 percent of it to China, where it sells for 150 yen ($1.89) or more a bottle. “Some people know and some people don’t” know that the company’s biggest shareholder is a Chinese citizen, says Katsuhisa Yoshida, the managing director. The textiles company expanded into water and organic farming about a year and a half ago at the suggestion of its Chinese shareholder, who wanted to go into health foods, Yoshida says. He adds that water companies like Seven Yellow bring jobs to areas that were often in decline.

Plenty more water deals are possible. “Japan’s land is cheap,” says Go Okazaki, who founded Tokyo-based Standard & Initiatives Properties three years ago to invest in forestland. “The water business is quite easy to get into. And from a commercial standpoint, it’s a limited resource.” A square meter of forestland sold for an average of 47 yen in March, compared with a peak of 89 yen in 1983, the Japan Real Estate Institute said in a September report. “What water volumes you’ll get and how deep you’ll need to drill depends on the place,” says Okazaki. “But if you dig, you’re bound to strike water anywhere in Japan.”

The bottom line: With its water-rich forestland fetching as little as 47 yen a square meter, Japan is attracting Chinese investors.

Noda calls up Manmohan after postponement of his Japan visit

After postponement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan that was to begin on Thursday, his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda telephoned him this morning and the two decided to meet on a fresh date.

The visit for annual India-Japan Summit was deferred after elections were announced by  Noda yesterday.
“Keeping in view that the dissolution of the Japanese Lower House of Parliament would be announced on November 16, it was felt that the visit to Japan of the Prime Minister of India can take place at a later date,” the Ministry of External Affairs said here giving an account of the telephonic conversation between the two leaders.

The two Prime Ministers reviewed their bilateral relations and welcomed the fact that the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership was stronger than ever before, the MEA said.
They also welcomed the conclusion of the agreement between India and Japan on Social Security as well as the Memorandum on Cooperation in the Rare Earths Industry in India and looked forward to early signing of these two documents.

The two Prime Ministers reiterated their desire to maintain the schedule of Annual Summits and agreed that fresh dates for the visit of the Prime Minister to Japan would be discussed through diplomatic channels.

India PM to sign US$15 bil. in Japan investments

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is set to sign deals for infrastructure projects worth US$15 billion on a visit to Japan this week, a report said Wednesday.

 

The trip, which starts Thursday, will see the Indian premier hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda and lunch with Japanese business leaders, said officials at the foreign ministry and industry lobby Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)..

A total of 19 infrastructure projects worth 1.2 trillion yen will benefit from the deals, which will involve Japanese manufacturers and trading houses, the Nikkei business daily reported.

The agreements will be signed at summit talks between Singh and Noda on Friday, the paper said.
Japan has been trying to expand diplomatic and economic ties with India in recent years against a backdrop of India's burgeoning economy and growing unease over China's rising clout.