Language or culture should not be a hindrance to business collaborations between India and Japan, especially when Japan already is the third largest foreign investor in India, said C.N. Ashwath Narayan, minister for Higher Education, IT, BT, Science and Technology and Skill Development.

Speaking at the inaugural of the Indo Nippon Business Council and Academia Collaboration (INBCC), a body formed with an objective of promoting business, trade, academic and cultural exchange between the two countries, the minister said India and Japan have been working together in the last 70 years despite the boundaries of language and culture.

“India is one of the largest populous countries and Japan is one of the richest. It is important that the countries work together, further breaking the boundaries of language and culture. Our entrepreneurs should learn Japanese and their startup owners should learn Kannada plus we also have to explore our commonalities,’‘ he urged.

University collaborations and job creation

India is expected to receive foreign direct investments (FDIs) to the tune of $42 billion from Japan by 2025, according to INBCC.

The newly set-up INBCC was hoping to facilitate 75 Indo-Japanese university collaborations, 50 B2B networking, and create 10,000 jobs for Indians in Japan, said Deepak Anand, one of the founders of the inter-cultural and business collaboration platform.

According to INBCC spokepersons, there are 1,455 Japanese companies that are currently active in India with Bengaluru accounting for a major share of it. “Japanese industry is looking at a parallel supply chain ecosystem other than China and they are looking at India to deliver the same,’‘ they said.

INBCC would create an integrated business environment for member companies by enabling end-to-end support to expedite business activities between the two countries.

Source : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/language-or-culture-should-not-be-barrier-for-business-collaborations-between-india-japan-says-ashwath-narayan/article66070336.ece