PUNE: Pune mayor Manjusha Nagpure has invited Japanese companies from Okayama to invest in Pune and set up regional offices, with a focus on smart agriculture, Ayurveda, yoga and wellness, during her meeting with the foreign city’s governor Ryuta Ibaragi in Japan.
The meeting comes as the Pune-Okayama sister-city relationship completes 20 years. Nagpure invited Ibaragi and a business and administrative delegation to Pune in November to mark the milestone and proposed renewal and expansion of the sister city agreement.
She proposed a joint skill development and language centre in Pune to train young people in Japanese language, workplace culture and technical skills, helping Japanese companies access trained manpower and creating local employment opportunities.
The delegation discussed promoting global capability centres (GCCs) in Pune and developing a business-friendly ecosystem for Japanese companies.
Nagpure also proposed that Okayama establish a cultural space showcasing Pune’s heritage and Maratha architecture, on the lines of the Pune-Okayama Friendship Garden at Pu La Deshpande Udyan on Sinhgad road.
Officials from Okayama welcomed the proposals, according to the Pune Municipal Corporation.
{{/usCountry}}Officials from Okayama welcomed the proposals, according to the Pune Municipal Corporation.
{{/usCountry}}PMC standing committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale, additional municipal commissioner Prajit Nair, city engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar, PMPML chairman Ajay Khedekar and Sameer Khale of the Association of Friends of Japan attended the meeting.