LUCKNOW: On the second leg of his five-day overseas visit, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the ‘UP Investment Roadshow’ in Tokyo, where he highlighted investment opportunities in Uttar Pradesh.
Inviting Japanese investors to the state, he said that challenges linked to UP’s large population have been transformed into opportunities over the past nine years. He also noted that India-Japan ties have strengthened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described UP as one of India’s fastest-growing states.
At the Tokyo roadshow, Yogi Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has tripled its economy and per capita income, transforming from a once-labelled “BIMARU” state into a key driver of India’s growth. Inviting Japanese businesses to invest, he assured them of a safe environment and strong government support.
Welcomed traditionally on arrival in Japan, Yogi highlighted the deep cultural connect between India and the “Land of the Rising Sun,” saying he aimed to further strengthen bilateral ties under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
He described UP as the birthplace of Lord Ram and a major centre of Buddhism, noting that Kapilvastu, Sarnath, Shravasti and Kushinagar are located in the state, with the Ramayana and Buddhist circuits being developed to boost spiritual tourism.
Emphasising economic strengths, he said that despite having only 11% of India’s cultivable land, UP produces 21% of its food grains, making it the country’s food basket. He pointed to opportunities in agri-value addition, logistics, warehousing and green hydrogen, and highlighted the state’s young, skilled workforce—56% of its 25 crore population—as a major advantage for investors.
Highlighting infrastructure growth, Yogi Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has built numerous expressways over the past nine years, accounting for 95% of India’s expressways, and has the country’s largest rail network. Work is underway on 27 industrial parks, and he invited Japanese firms to invest in private industrial park development.
He added that air connectivity has expanded significantly, with 16 domestic and four international airports operationalised, and India’s largest airport in Noida set to open soon.
Emphasising sectoral opportunities, Yogi noted that many Japanese companies already operate safely in UP and have expanded their investments. The state has over 34 sectoral policies; it accounts for 55% of India’s mobile manufacturing and 60% of electronic component production. Proposals for data centres have been received, and the foundation stone for a semiconductor unit has recently been laid.
He said improved law and order enabled the 2023 Global Investors Summit, which attracted investment proposals worth Rs 40 lakh crore, with Rs 15 lakh crore implemented and Rs 7 lakh crore in progress. UP also has the country’s largest MSME base—96,000 units employing over three crore people—supported by incentives, including 1,000-day exemptions from NoCs.