BHUBANESWAR: Odisha and Japan’s Tottori Prefecture will forge a sister-state partnership to bolster cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, technology and skill development between the two sides.
This was decided in a meeting between Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Consul General of Japan in Kolkata Ishikawa Yoshihisa here on Wednesday.
According to the chief minister’s office, high-level delegations from Odisha and Tottori will undertake reciprocal visits before the formal declaration of the partnership by Chief Minister Majhi and the Governor of Tottori prefecture at a later stage.
During the discussions, Majhi acknowledged Japan’s contribution to development initiatives in Odisha and welcomed greater Japanese participation in the state’s industrialisation and investment programmes. He expressed hope that Japanese companies would further expand their presence in the state across manufacturing, infrastructure and technology sectors.
The Japanese consul general highlighted the long-standing cultural and historical connections between Japan and Odisha, particularly through Buddhist heritage and traditional art forms, and reiterated Japan’s interest in supporting the state’s socio-economic growth.
Both sides also explored opportunities to strengthen tourism linkages, with special emphasis on Odisha’s Buddhist circuit and eco-tourism destinations to attract more Japanese visitors.
Discussions were also held on facilitating the arrival of Japanese recruitment agencies in Odisha to create overseas job opportunities for skilled Odia youth in Japan which could lead to significant employment generation.
Chief secretary Anu Garg, additional chief secretary, Industries department Hemant Sharma and additional chief secretary to the chief minister Saswata Mishra were present.