Japan lauds Maharashtra as an economic powerhouse

While acknowledging Pune’s part in Maharashtra’s development, the chief consul of Japan, Toshihiro Kaneko suggested that the western state is a powerhouse of the Indian economy

While acknowledging Pune’s part in Maharashtra’s development, the chief consul of Japan, Toshihiro Kaneko suggested that the western state is a powerhouse of the Indian economy. Kaneko was present in the city to inaugurate the Indo-Japan business summit as part of the ‘Konnichiwa Pune 2022’ festival on Friday.

Toshihiro Kaneko, Chief Consul, Consulate of Japan in Mumbai (left) and Ravi Chitnis, vice-chancellor, MIT World Peace University at the inauguration of Indo-Japan Business Council, as part of ‘Konnichiwa Pune 2022’ at Hotel Sayaji, on Friday. (HT PHOTO)

Kaneko said, “I emphasise that the Japanese government considers Maharashtra a powerhouse of the Indian economy and Pune is a part of it. Quality infrastructure in Maharashtra, which the Japanese government has been working on very hard, is another growth story waiting to happen.”

To elaborate on his point, the chief consul gave examples of five projects – Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, Colaba-Seepz Metro 3 in Mumbai, Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link, Delhi-Mumbai dedicated freight corridor, and Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, which are coming up in the state.

“All these projects together will create efficient, smooth, and environment-friendly transport infrastructure for further economic development in Maharashtra,” added Kaneko.

The Chief Consul also said that the Indo-Japan relationship, which was celebrating the 70th year of its diplomatic ties, was a key to the “stability and prosperity” of the international community.

Indo-Japan Business Council (IJBC) president Siddharth Deshmukh said, “It was the fourth edition of Konnichiwa Pune and it was special to host the event during the 70th anniversary of Indo-Japan diplomatic relations and the emphasis was on people-to-people connect, including education and student exchange.”