CHANDIGARH, November 27 — Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday pitched for strategic collaborations with Japan in key sectors including advanced manufacturing, mobility, electronics, food processing, renewable energy, and global services.
Mann, joined by Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora, held a virtual meeting with a high-level Japanese delegation, including representatives from the Embassy of Japan, JETRO, JCCII, and over 25 Japanese firms operating in India such as Panasonic, Sumitomo, NEC, Toyota, and others.
The discussions formed part of Punjab’s outreach ahead of the 6th Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit, scheduled for March 13–15, 2026, at the Indian School of Business, Mohali. Mann highlighted Punjab’s economic potential and the Invest Punjab unified regulatory model, which streamlines approvals across multiple departments.
“Punjab is a land of courage, entrepreneurship, and resilience. We are moving forward to become a hub for modern industry, technology, and global collaboration,” Mann said. He invited Japanese companies to deepen ties, noting, “Punjab and Japan share values of trust, discipline, and long-term partnership. Japanese investors have already demonstrated strong success here.”
Mann cited existing Japanese investments in Punjab, including Mazda, Sumitomo, SML Isuzu, Yanmar, Aichi Steel, and Gunma Seiko in automotive and manufacturing, Toppan and Oji Holdings in packaging, Kansai Nerolac and Nissan Chemical in chemicals, and Uniqlo in retail. In renewable energy, he highlighted Mitsui & Co. for contributing to Punjab’s green initiatives.
The Chief Minister said Punjab has been recognised as a Top Achiever in the 2024 Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) for ease of doing business and said the state offers policy stability, fast decision-making, and investor-friendly governance.
Arora said the FastTrack Punjab digital platform now provides over 200 G2B services with approvals within 45 working days, while Rs 1.39 lakh crore in industrial investment has already generated 5.09 lakh jobs. Japanese and Indo-Japanese companies praised Punjab’s skilled workforce, supportive policy ecosystem, and facilitation efforts, and discussed deeper sectoral collaboration.
