BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Wednesday signed a Friendship Agreement with Japan’s Tottori Prefecture to strengthen bilateral cooperation in industry, investment, entrepreneurship, skill development, tourism, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai signed the agreement at Lok Seva Bhawan here in the presence of an 80-member Japanese delegation.
Two more memoranda of understanding were also signed between Odisha and Tottori to promote startup collaboration, business linkages and human resources development.
Addressing the gathering, Majhi described the agreement as an important milestone in bringing the people and institutions of the two regions closer. He said Odisha and Tottori had significant opportunities to build a strong regional partnership.
The chief minister invited Japanese business groups to explore investment and collaboration opportunities in Odisha’s MSME, startups, industrial clusters and skilled workforce. The partnership, he said, should translate into concrete outcomes in business cooperation, employment generation, student exchanges and tourism and cultural relations.
Majhi said Japanese companies, including Indo Nissin, Nippon Steel, JFE Steel, Krosaki, TYK, Yokohama, IHI and Toray, are already present in Odisha.
The Tottori Governor expressed his commitment to strengthening ties between the two regions through economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and closer engagement between businesses and people.
Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain said the partnership would strengthen industrial cooperation, technology exchange and investment linkages while creating international employment opportunities for Odisha’s youth.
The World Skill Center in Bhubaneswar would collaborate with Tottori to provide industry-oriented vocational training in manufacturing and nursing care, supported by Japanese-language training.
The first MoU, between Startup Odisha and the Director of Industries, Tottori, envisages business matchmaking, startup exchanges, accelerator programmes, mentoring and investor connections. The second MoU between the World Skill Center and Tottori Prefecture, involving Nihon Edutech, focuses on vocational training, Japanese-language instruction and corporate interactions to facilitate employment opportunities for skilled youth in Japan.
MSME Minister Gokulananda Mallik said the partnership would open avenues for technology collaboration, joint product development, manufacturing linkages and market access for Odisha’s small businesses and startups. Setting context for the agreement, additional chief secretary of Industries department Hemant Sharma spoke of the expanding partnership between Odisha and Japan.
The Friendship Agreement also provides for exchanges involving students, youth and businesses, promotion of local products and tourist destinations, and cooperation in culture and environment.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Japan’s Consul General in Kolkata Ishikawa Yoshihisa and Director, Industries Aboli Sunil Naravane also spoke.
