Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday evening welcomed the Governor of Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture, Kotaro Nagasaki, highlighting India and Japan’s centuries-old friendship rooted in cultural, strategic, and economic cooperation.
He emphasised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s global message of peace inspired by Lord Buddha and the strong ties forged with former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, elevating bilateral relations.
CM Yogi reaffirmed the state’s commitment to collaboration with Japanese companies, noting Japan’s pivotal role as a partner in the Global Investors Summit 2023.
An MoU was signed between the Uttar Pradesh government and Yamanashi Prefecture (Japan) in the field of industrial cooperation, tourism, and vocational education in front of the chief minister at his official residence.
On behalf of the state government, Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Director General of the Governor’s Policy Planning Bureau of Yamanashi Prefecture, Junichi Ishidera, exchanged the MoU.
The chief minister highlighted that the MoU between Uttar Pradesh and Japan reflects PM Modi’s commitment to fostering collaboration with Quad nations based on shared democratic values.
Over 1,400 Japanese companies currently operate in India, including seven major firms active in Uttar Pradesh, such as Honda Motors, Yamaha Motors, and Mitsui Technologies.
With bilateral trade reaching $22.854 billion in FY 2023-24, including mutual exports worth US $ 17.69 billion from Japan and US $ 5.15 billion from India, economic cooperation between India and Japan remains robust.
CM Yogi emphasised Uttar Pradesh’s unlimited potential and expressed confidence that this MoU will further strengthen India-Japan relations.
The chief minister emphasised Uttar Pradesh’s pivotal role as India’s most populous state and the fourth largest by area.
“With 25 crore residents, the state boasts the country’s largest labour and consumer market. Over the past eight years, significant strides have been made to foster a conducive investment environment, supported by robust connectivity across rail, road, air, and waterways, enhancing logistics efficiency for global and domestic markets. Uttar Pradesh hosts India’s largest railway network (16,000+ km) and major portions of the western (8.5%) and eastern (57%) dedicated freight corridors, converging at Dadri, Greater Noida. Known as the ‘Expressway State’, it features 13 expressways spanning 1,225 km, with six completed and seven under development, ensuring seamless connectivity to manufacturing hubs,” Yogi stated.
The chief minister informed the Japanese delegation that Uttar Pradesh is gaining recognition as the ‘Expressway State’, with a projected 55% share of the nation’s total expressways following the completion of the 594 km Ganga Expressway between Meerut and Prayagraj.
Currently, five expressways spanning 1,130 km are operational, and three more, totalling 720 km, are under construction.
Uttar Pradesh is also set to become the only state in India with five international airports, with existing facilities in Ayodhya, Lucknow, Varanasi, and Kushinagar, and Asia’s largest international airport under construction in Jewar.
In total, 16 domestic and four international airports are operational in the state.
Drawing parallels between Yamanashi Prefecture and Uttar Pradesh, CM Yogi highlighted their shared landlocked status and the innovative solutions adopted, such as the development of dry ports and activation of inland waterways.
Notably, the country’s first waterway connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal.
The chief minister shared that India’s first ‘Freight Village’ is being developed on 100 acres in Varanasi to serve as a trans-shipment hub, connecting export centres of eastern Uttar Pradesh to eastern Indian ports.
Contributing 9.2% to India’s GDP, Uttar Pradesh is among the nation’s largest economies and is recognised as the food basket of India, leading in the production of food grains, milk, and sugarcane. The state offers vast opportunities in agriculture, food processing, and the dairy sector.
Highlighting sustainability, the chief minister noted the introduction of the Green Hydrogen Policy, with 20 MoUs signed for investments worth Rs 2.73 lakh crore in this sector.
Ayodhya and 17 municipal corporations are also being developed as solar cities.On cultural ties, he emphasised the historic connections between Japan and India, particularly through Buddhism. Key Buddhist sites like Kapilvastu, Sarnath, Shravasti, and Kushinagar have been integrated into a dedicated Buddhist Circuit. CM Yogi invited the Japanese delegation to visit these significant locations to experience their rich heritage firsthand.
The CM said that in the electronics and IT/ITES sector, Uttar Pradesh has the distinction of contributing about 45 per cent of India’s total mobile manufacturing. About 55 per cent of India’s mobile components are manufactured here.
