Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will embark on a 10-day tour of Japan starting tomorrow, aiming to strengthen economic ties and court major Japanese firms for upcoming investment opportunities in the state.
According to officials, the Chief Minister’s itinerary includes meetings with senior executives from leading Japanese corporations, business chambers, trade promotion bodies, and technology-focused institutions. Mann is expected to extend formal invitations to top industry players to participate in the state’s upcoming global investor summit and explore prospects for setting up operations in Punjab.
The state government has identified several sectors where collaboration with Japan could accelerate Punjab’s industrial growth. These include high-precision machinery, next-generation automotive engineering, electronics manufacturing, food processing, renewable energy, and emerging clean-technology solutions.
Just days before the tour, Mann and Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora held a virtual interaction with a large Japanese delegation comprising representatives from the Embassy of Japan, JETRO, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII), and more than two dozen companies operating in India, including Panasonic, Sumitomo, NEC, Toyota, and Nippon groups.
Investor Summit Planned for March 2026
The outreach comes as Punjab intensifies its global engagement strategy ahead of the 6th Progressive Punjab Investor Summit, scheduled for March 13–15, 2026, at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali. Invest Punjab has been promoting its integrated, single-window regulatory framework—known as the Unified Regulatory Model—to streamline approvals and create a more conducive business environment.
Past International Outreach
Mann previously toured Germany in 2022, where he met corporate leaders and encouraged several companies to explore investment opportunities in the state. He has also held discussions with diplomats and industrialists from other regions to expand Punjab’s investment base.
A planned visit to Japan in December 2024 did not materialise after the central government withheld clearance, but officials say the upcoming trip now carries even greater importance as the state seeks to broaden its global industrial partnerships.
