Lucknow, August 21 (TNA) Uttar Pradesh and Japan advanced their economic partnership on Friday, signing four Memorandums of Understanding covering skills development, technical training, tourism and Japanese Global Capability Centres (GCCs), alongside the announcement of a ₹600-crore fund by Yamanashi Prefecture to support the state's MSME sector.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced the setting up of a dedicated Yamanashi Desk at Invest UP, along with plans for regular coordination with Japanese agencies JETRO and JICA to facilitate investment from Japan into the state.
The announcements were made at the Japan–India Business Networking Event held at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow, attended by Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki, senior Japanese business leaders, and top Uttar Pradesh ministers and officials.
CM Calls for "Structured, Outcome-Driven" Partnership
Addressing the Japanese delegation, Chief Minister Adityanath said the relationship between Uttar Pradesh and Japan needed to move beyond investment discussions towards long-term, structured cooperation. He said the newly announced ₹600-crore Yamanashi fund would support the state's MSME sector, while the dedicated Yamanashi Desk at Invest UP would give investors and businesses from the prefecture a focused point of contact.
"Japan is not only an important investment partner for Uttar Pradesh; it is a long-term partner in our development journey," Adityanath said, adding that the state's scale, infrastructure and young workforce complemented Japan's technology, skills and global experience. He said the cooperation would support Uttar Pradesh's ambition of becoming a major investment and manufacturing hub and achieving its target of a USD 1 trillion economy.
Four MoUs Widen Scope of Cooperation
The first MoU was signed between Invest UP and the Technical Training & Research Centre, Kanpur, focused on technical training and workforce development. Shuichi Kamada, Director of the Japan Technical Training Centre, was felicitated at the event along with three Uttar Pradesh-domiciled trainees placed in Japan.
The Tourism Department signed the second MoU with representatives of Yamanashi Prefecture, aimed at boosting tourist movement between the two regions and raising awareness among Japanese visitors of Uttar Pradesh's Buddhist, spiritual and cultural destinations.
A third MoU between Invest UP and Yamanashi Prefecture is aimed at promoting the establishment of Japanese GCCs in Uttar Pradesh, with expected opportunities in technology, business services and digital operations.
The fourth agreement, signed between the state Labour Department and Yamanashi Prefecture, focuses on building a steady pipeline of Japanese-language-proficient workforce, linking training programmes in Uttar Pradesh with employment opportunities in Japan.
Healthcare, Food Processing and Clean Energy Also on Agenda
At a separate session on healthcare, Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak said Uttar Pradesh was ready to align its medical and paramedical training with Japanese requirements, noting that the number of medical colleges in the state had grown from 47 to more than 83. Skill Development Minister Kapil Dev Agrawal invited Japanese companies to bring technology and investment to the state, while Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar said the partnership would create structured pathways for international employment.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Ghosh pointed to opportunities in Japanese healthcare technology and robotics, citing the proposed 400-acre MedTech Park and PPP-based medical colleges as potential avenues for collaboration.
At a food-processing session, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the state's agricultural base and workforce could help build a global food-processing ecosystem with Japanese technology and supply-chain expertise. Japan's Ambassador to India, Ono Keiichi, called for practical partnerships linking technology and investment with local opportunities, while Kikkoman India Director Harry Hakuei Kosato spoke of opportunities in food manufacturing and exports.On clean energy, UPNEDA signed an MoU with the Japanese delegation to deepen cooperation on renewable energy and clean-energy value chains, with Centres of Excellence at IIT Kanpur and IIT BHU flagged as platforms for research and technology transfer.
Tourism and Institutional Ties
Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said the state was developing Buddhist destinations-including Sarnath, Kushinagar, Shravasti, Kapilvastu, Kaushambi and Sankisa -with a focus on connectivity and visitor experience, positioning Yamanashi as a gateway for Uttar Pradesh tourism in Japan.
Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' said the state was working to deepen facilitation mechanisms for Japanese companies. Separately, Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana welcomed a delegation from the Yamanashi Prefectural Assembly, signing a Friendly Exchange MoU with Yamanashi Assembly Chairman Hidenori Miyamoto.
A Broader Institutional Framework
Officials said the latest agreements give the Uttar Pradesh–Japan relationship a more permanent institutional structure, spanning finance, investment facilitation, skills, tourism, healthcare, food processing, clean energy and technology. With the ₹600-crore fund, the dedicated Yamanashi Desk, and closer coordination with JETRO and JICA, the state is aiming to make Japanese engagement faster and more predictable, as part of its broader strategy to attract global investment and strengthen international linkages for jobs and technology transfer.