SUNDAY SPECIAL: ACN Advisory Board to assume catalyst role to promote common interests of Japan, South Korea, and India

NEW DELHI: The Asian Community News (ACN) Network – an India-based news agency focused on Indo-Asian affairs, has launched an Asian think tank “ACN Editorial Advisory Board” with the representation of community and business leaders from Japan, South Korea, and India.

The members of this newly floated Asian think tank met on Friday in virtual mode and reached a consensus that the ACN Editorial Advisory Board would assume a greater role of a catalyst and a facilitator to bring the communities of Japan, South Korea, and India closer to achieve common objectives and goals of peace, harmony, people-to-people and cultural exchange, and trade and industry promotion.

Both, Japanese and Korean communities in India have expressed their desire to work together in close coordination to promote mutual interests.

The members of the ACN Editorial Advisory Board include Euy Don Park, President, Korean Federation in India and VP, Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KOCHAM); Hidehito Jay ARAKI, Management Consultant for Japanese companies in India; Tomio Isogai, Former MD, Sharp India and UAE; Prof. Do Young Kim, Honorary Director, Korean Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi; Nobuhiro Takahashi, Former Advisor, Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry India (JCCII); Rohit Kochhar, Founding Member & Managing Partner, Kochhar & Co.; J C Pegu (IRS), Former Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, New Delhi; Prakash Yadav, India Japan Business Promotion Council, ASSOCHAM, and Co-founder, AJU Group of Japanese Hotels; Mohit Malik, Senior Taxation Expert, and Promoter, GST Academy; Arshi Krishnachar, India Head, Seoul Semiconductor & Chairman, ISLE, Karnataka; Kunna Dash, Expert, Indo-Japan Affairs, and Shiv Kothari, National Editor, Govt. Affairs, ACN and Founder, Chain of Tokyo Stores.

Sanjeev K Ahuja, Founder, and Editor, Asian Community News (ACN) Network said that the very idea behind forming the ACN Editorial Advisory Board is to bring the Asian powers Japan, South Korea, and India together to promote mutual interests.

He called upon the community and business leaders from Japan and Korea operating in India to break away from the stereotypes and join hands to work closely with their Indian counterparts to achieve common objectives.

“As everyone knows the 21^st century belongs to Asia, not Europe. And the countries like Japan, South Korea, and India can play a vital role in realizing this dream. We now wish to play a bigger role as a catalyst by joining hands and utilize our strengths to produce synergic results. We want to play the vital role of a facilitator amongst the communities and investors from Japan, Korea and India, and other countries, and work in close coordination with the concerned Embassies and trade & industry associations,” he added.

In his opening remarks, Euy Don Park, President, Korean Federation in India and VP, KOCHAM, who has been staying in India for 12 years, fully endorsed the idea of Japanese and Korean communities working together with Indian counterparts to achieve mutual benefits, and become an unbeatable force in Asia and across the world.

He said that ACN’s role should be that of a catalyst to coordinate together with Japan, South Korea, and Indian communities to set up a very healthy agile ecosystem for the investment from these and other southeast Asian countries. Delegation visits, trade summits, and conferences could be very good alternatives to start our activity as an ACN facilitator and catalyst.

“While living in India, I have been dreaming with the idea of cooperation and exchange of the experience between Japanese and Korean communities in India along with the Indian friends. I have my experience of interacting with Japanese businessmen.  Long ago, as the LG group had a close partnership with Hitachi and Furukawa, I remember working together with Japanese friends during the technology transfer work for optical fiber communication while staying near Chiba at Furukawa factory in Japan when I was worked with LG Cable. I have also been enjoying playing football as well as drinking with many young Japanese friends every Sunday in Gurgaon,” he added.

Both, Japanese and Korean members of the board working and staying in India expressed their inherent desire to not only work together but play golf and football and dine and drink together.

Park is the MD of Seela Infratech that deals in electrical cables, panels, electrical infra, and telecom network solutions, and also runs Korean grocery stores in Delhi, Noida, Gurgoan, Chennai Pune, and Kolkata.

Marketing and communication expert and management consultant for Japanese companies in India Hidehito Jay Araki, who also assists JETRO to bring in SME players to India, landed in India in 2005.

He said that he believed India and Japan could be strong partners.

“I am happy to meet Korean friends (on ACN platform), and we should work together and as we have many things in common. We interact on golf courses but should have more inter-relationship. Japan’s JCCII and Korea’s KOTRA can do something to bring the two countries together and build a relationship.”

While terming the ACN Editorial Advisory board a good initiative, Araki suggested that a golf tournament of Japanese and Korean communities together be organized as most of the businessmen from both sides play golf on a common platform, they chit chat and exchange ideas. We should make it more fruitful, he added.

Rohit Kochhar, Founding Member & Managing Partner, Kochhar & Co. with more than 200 layers with pan India footprint, which is the part of Kochhar Group of Companies, said that he was committed to take forward and espouse in advance the very causes, objectives, and the goals of CAN Editorial Advisory Board.

He said, “Japan and Korea are two such great nations and dominant leaders of the Asian community as they enjoy a symbiotic relationship with India and its economy. There is so much we do together. Our objective, goals, and action plans must be multifaceted cutting across economies from political to literature. Good to known ACN is promotion books authored by Japanese and Korean friends.”

Kochhar & Co. is the only Indian law firm in India with three overseas firms i.e.  Dubai, Singapore, and Chicago.

Shiv Kothari, National Editor, Govt. Affairs, ACN, and Founder, Chain of Tokyo Stores with pan India presence said that ACN Editorial Advisory Board could play the role of a catalyst to establish effective communication between southeast Asian governments and trade bodies with various state governments to ensure the agile and healthy relationship.

“Mainly to promote and build soft infrastructure in the state and provide healthy eco-system which is needed to boost the trade and investment. Overcoming various barriers like language and culture by setting up a correct communication channel,” he added saying that various state governments had approached ACN to lay down plans and strategies for effective communication and fruitful brand building.

Tomio Isogai, an Indo-Japanese affairs expert and former MD, Sharp India and UAE said that he was a bridge person connecting India and Japan, as both needed each other.

“Japan is fast-aging population and suffers from a shortage of manpower. It welcomes Indian educated and talented people to come to Japan. India also needs Japan to become a strong economic power and also a manufacturing hub for the world for not depending upon China. Many Japanese companies are looking forward to making India a manufacturing and exports hub,” he added.

Prof. Do Young Kim, Honorary Director, Korean Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, who has been teaching Korean studies and language for 15 years, said that it was nothing new for him to interact with Japan or China.

“India, Korea, and Japan are democratic countries, and their businesses are also easily recognized. I suggest taking one key member from each constituent country to make a team of members to decide on the agenda and present to the advisory board and sharpen the ideas to go in which direction,” he added.

Nobuhiro Takahashi, former advisor, JCCII also supported the very idea of Japanese and Korean working together for the common cause.

He said that if required, the background suggestion and information exchange between Japan and the Korean chamber of commerce could be effective.

“Like JCCII, Korea Chamber of Commerce also if they have the opportunity, should forward their suggestions to the Indian government, showing each other’s important areas. Korea and India also should appeal to the central government on how to promote the concept of deregulation, sound infrastructure, and stable politics, which is the fundamental condition for the promising future of India,” he added.

Takahashi said that due to pandemics the economic activities got hampered. “Since 2014, the central emphasized on make in India and ease of doing business and recently opened economy. Last year Piyush Goyal declared freedom of the economy. For the freedom of the economy, an open market ecosystem is required in India. India needs deregulation, sound infrastructure, and stable politics.”

The ACN Board members like Jugesh Pegu are also of the view that the stress should be laid on mutual development and the investment should not only flow into India from Japan and Korea, and the flow could be made from India to these countries as well.

“Broadly we need to discuss mutual development of Asian countries. We should not always talk about investment in India only though it is our objective. The investment should also be made from India to Japan and Korea. India counterparts are also equally interested in making investments in these two countries. For this, we would move our Indian society to accept communities and their culture from Japan and Korea. We should work out modalities for being the catalyst at various levels,” said Pegu, former chief commissioner, Income Tax, New Delhi.

Arshi Krishnachar, India head of Korean company Seoul Semiconductor suggested having members from the Indian chamber of commerce and also from other countries like Vietnam.

He went on to suggest, “Make some committees in different verticals like exhibition, business, education and take cultural exchange initiatives to educational institutions, universities etc. Japan and Korea can also take the culture and language to the southern part of India in addition to north India.

Prakash Yadav, Founder, AJU Group of Japanese hotels was all praise for the Japanese community and said that it was quite helpful as help him settle his business. He suggested including the Korean community also next time when golf tournaments are organized for Japanese and Indian players.

“Japanese community is very cooperative, I learned the business and Japanese culture from them only and also got to know how to play golf, and business can happen over golf. We organize Indo Nippon golf cup for Japanese almost every year and now we can add one more country Korea.”