Feb 15: Indo-Japan Golf Diplomacy; Haryana to host India Japan Golf Meet 2020 to woo investors

NEW DELHI: Coming Saturday on Feb 15, the northern state Haryana – already home for over 600 Japanese companies, the second-highest number after Maharashtra (810) in the country, is hosting India Japan Golf Meet near its financial capital Gurugram.

With the intent of attracting more Japanese investment to the state that has a troubled past consisting of labour unrest incidents in Maruti Suzuki and Honda Scooters and Motorcycles India plants, the senior bureaucrats of Haryana government, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), would play friendly golf with senior officers from Japan Embassy, JETRO, JCCII,  Japanese Business Community and CEOs of various Japanese companies in this golf networking event.

Invest India – a National Investment Promotion & Facilitation Agency under DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India is helping the Haryana Government in organizing this event.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar would also be present on that day to welcome the Japanese delegates and investors and will also interact with them.

In July last year too, the Haryana government had organized a similar golf event ‘India Korea Golf Meet‘ for the top executives of South Korean companies as well as future investors to attract investment from South Korea.

According to Additional Chief Secretary of Industry and Commerce Department, Government of Haryana TVSN Prasad, golf is a popular sport for Japanese business leaders.

“We believe that a networking event of such sort will be significant in providing a platform for the companies to understand the support being provided by the Haryana Government while enabling the Government to understand the interests and issues of the investor community,” he said in a statement.

He said that India and Japan historically share a strategic economic and cultural relationship. In the last four years, this relationship has further strengthened. Recent visits by the Heads of States of both countries have reiterated their commitment to leveraging this partnership to foster mutual growth.

A press release quoting TVSN Prasad claimed that there was an increasing presence of Japanese companies in Haryana for both manufacturing facilities and corporate offices. Additionally, several companies from neighboring states are also looking to Haryana for their expansion plans.

Also read: Indian states jostle hard to attract Japanese, Korean, Chinese investment

Haryana is already home to industrial units and corporate offices of many Japanese companies, which include Nidec, Somemiya Holdings, Keihin, TDK, Terra Motors, MUFG, SMBC, Soft Bank, Fast Retailing, Nitto Denko, Panasonic, Daikin, Toshiba, Hitachi, Suzuki, Honda, NEC, Toyota, Murata, Mitsui Chemicals, and Rohto Pharmaceuticals to name a few.

TVSN Prasad claimed that due to certain natural constraints in the other states, suppliers to anchor units are increasingly looking towards Haryana for more conducive conditions. Ease of living and familiar attributes are the keys to Japanese companies when identifying sites for their facilities.

Prasad said that the proposed golf event will put on display one of the greatest pastimes and indicators of easy living for the Japanese while giving them the opportunity to interact with Government officials at Golf Course.

He said that this would help synergies and future opportunities for collaboration to both Japan and Haryana. The focus sectors that Haryana is actively facilitating align with the major investment sectors of Japan and many Japanese companies have their Headquarters and sales offices in Gurugram.

These companies might want to establish manufacturing facilities in Haryana as it will be close to their Headquarters. Networking opportunities like these will prove to be an avenue for exploration of further collaboration.

Talking on the expected outcomes of this event, Prasad said that it would increase the accessibility of government officials to investors and would enable easy dissemination of pertinent information to investors.

“We hope that it would increase investments from Japanese companies in Haryana and India as well as help in the facilitation of informal interactions between all stakeholders leading to potential issue identification and redressal,” Prasad added.

Gurugram Divisional Commissioner Ashok Sangwan, who has been appointed as nodal officer for organizing the event, today visited the Event Site- Classic Golf & Country Club on Hasanpur- Tauru Road in District Nuh and saw the preparations and arrangements for the event. He expressed satisfaction over the arrangements.

Also read: Red Carpet to replace Red Tapism for Korean Cos in Haryana