Abe’s visit may boost investment in OMR township

Junichi Fukao, Economic Researcher and Advisor at the Japanese Consulate, says the recent visit of Japanese PM Mr. Shinzo Abe will definitely strengthen the ties between the two nations. “There are already a few companies, which have started operating from OneHub, a Japanese township on OMR, including Hitachi. After the PM’s visit, we are still waiting for the response from Japanese business community in investing here. Since the township on OMR is backed by companies like Mizuho, Japanese organisations will feel more confident to set up their units here,” he says. 

Kyoko Fukuda, a marketing professional who was present at the Japan-India Innovation Seminar in honour of PM Shinzo Abe in New Delhi, says that Chennai has great potential in terms of economic growth. Kyoko, who lived in Chennai until recently, adds, “Chennai is a “hot” city for Japanese companies due to many active manufacturing sectors. Many Japanese restaurants and other businesses are also operating in Chennai than ever before.” 

Chellappa Sriram, the Vice President of ABK-AOTS Dosokai, a Japanese language school, anticipates that more Japanese companies will be looking to invest in south India, thereby creating a need for translators and allied services. “The number of Japanese companies setting up shop here is increasing. There will be a lot of requirement for Japanese translators. Many companies will also look to hire engineers, who are well-versed in Japanese,” he says. 

SP Chenthil Kumar, Director of Hayakawa Japanese Language School and Cultural Centre, says Chennai is a hub for Japanese companies. “People and companies in Japan are aware of Chennai and even during the recent floods, there were many who were keenly following the happenings here. With the Japanese township in OMR coming up, we are seeing more Indian students studying Japanese,” he says.

Kayoko Furukawa, Consul for Culture, Information and Development Affairs, points out that there has been a steady increase in the number of students learning Japanese. “In 2013, a total of 3,548 students appeared for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), while in 2014, 4,162 students took this exam. This only shows the increasing interest among Indians in Japan, its language and culture,” she concludes.