Japan urges India to allow its companies to restart operations

NEW DELHI: Japan has requested that its companies in India be allowed to resume work.

The request was conveyed by Japanese foreign minister Motegi Toshimitsu during a telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, on Thursday, according to a statement from the Japanese foreign ministry.

“Minister Motegi expressed his gratitude for the support of the Indian government in the repatriation of Japanese nationals residing in India and requested continued cooperation for ensuring their safety, amid the spread of the novel coronavirus disease,” the Japanese statement said.

Motegi “also requested cooperation for the resumption of activities by Japanese companies in India”, it said adding that the two ministers shared the view to further cooperate in the repatriation of their nationals staying in each other’s country.

India has been in lockdown since 25 March to control the spread of covid-19 in the country. Currently, the country is in the third phase of the lockdown with some economic activities allowed in pockets without covid-19 cases as well as other areas where the spread is not as extensive as in places with high incidence. The current phase of the lockdown is to end on 17 May.

Japan on its part has announced that a state of emergency would continue till the end of May. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised to end restrictions earlier if experts advise him he could do so at a coronavirus task force due to meet on May 14, a Reuters report said.

“Japan is regarded as a key partner in India’s economic transformation. In the recent past, the India-Japan relationship has transformed to a partnership of great substance and purpose. Japan's interest in India is increasing due to a variety of reasons including India's large and growing market and its resources, especially the human resources,” said a note on bilateral ties on the Indian foreign ministry website.

“Cumulatively, since 2000 to September 2019 Japanese investments to India have been around $ 32.058 billion. Japan ranks third now among the major investors into India,” the Indian foreign ministry note said, adding that Japanese FDI into India has mainly been in automobile, electrical equipment, telecommunications, chemical, financial (insurance) and pharmaceutical sectors.

In FY20 (April – November), Japanese FDI into India touched $3.99 billion, while number of Japanese companies registered in the country was at 1,441 in October 2018, according to the latest joint survey by the Embassy of Japan in India and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The number of Indian companies in Japan is more than 100, the note said.

In their conversation on Thursday, the two ministers reiterated their resolve to work closely on the covid-19 challenge as well as other issues.

The two ministers reiterated their resolve to work closely on the covid-19 challenge as well as other issues.

“In addition, Minister Motegi expressed his intention to resume strongly advancing bilateral relations, particularly in terms of security and defense including the follow-up on the Japan-India 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting, as well as the economy and economic cooperation, once the situation calms down,” the statement said.

The two ministers also resolved strengthen bilateral relations based on the Special Strategic and Global Partnership, the statement added.