Jaya woos Japan, vows to clear bottlenecks

CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday showcased the investment opportunities to the visiting Japanese delegation and promised that she would address the infrastructure problems, particularly the connectivity bottlenecks to Ennore Port currently faced by Toshiba and Nissan. She assured that her government was taking efforts to solve these issues to the satisfaction of Japanese investors.The CM made this assurance while addressing the 26-member delegation of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) at the Secretariat.During the meeting, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the JCCI and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Guidance and Export Promotion Bureau (Guidance Bureau) to facilitate Japanese investments in the State. Tadashi Okamura, chairman, JCCI, informed the chief minister that since Tamil Nadu was found to be an ideal location for investment, many Japanese companies are keen to invest and requested Jayalalithaa to provide adequate infrastructure facilities.Addressing the Japanese delegation, the CM literally showcased investment opportunities in all sectors in Tamil Nadu. Observing that Chennai has 30 per cent of the total number of Japanese companies operating in India, she said at present, there are about 248 Japanese companies in Tamil Nadu, apart from the representative offices of another 60 firms. Also, Chennai has become the home for about 700 Japanese expatriates.Stating that Chennai was set to emerge as the world’s largest auto cluster, Jayalalithaa said the auto sector accounts for about 60 per cent of Japanese foreign direct investment in Tamil Nadu. To attract more Japanese companies, particularly medium-sized companies, the State government had proposed to establish a Japanese industrial cluster near Chennai, she said. Solar power parks could be promoted by Japanese infrastructure companies in southern Tamil Nadu.Referring to the government’s plan to establish a Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region between Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, Jayalalithaa invited the Japanese companies to be part of this project.Finance Minister O Panneerselvam, Industries Minister SP Velumani, Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi, Industries Secetary N Sundaradevan and Finance Secretary K Shanmugam were present during the meeting.