Vibrant Gujarat is set to have a global partner. For the first time ever, Gujarat is close to roping in Japan government as partners for the bi-annual Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit to be held early next year.

With the state government focusing on Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor in a big way –the DMIC will be an important agenda in the upcoming summit—Japan, which is actively involved in the project, is open to partnering with Gujarat.

"We have approached Japan to join the summit as partners. They are positive about the proposal," said a senior official in the state government.

Some time back, a delegation from Japan government-supported Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) had visited Gujarat to discuss potential investment sites along the DMIC.

The state government has even offered to earmark land for country-specific special economic zones (SEZs) for countries like Japan. And, it's not just Japan which is showing interest in the summit.

Even the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which has had a comparatively strained relationship with the state government following remarks by senior CII officials in the wake of the Godhra riots, has joined the summit as a partner. FICCI has been partnering the the past two summits held in 2005 and 2007.

CII had fallen out of favour following remarks by Rahul Bajaj and Jamshyd Godrej over Gujarat's law and order situation. This was followed by demonstrations by some NGOs against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi at a CII event in February 2003.

As a reaction, a group of Gujarat industrialists floated a body Resurgent Gujarat to take on the CII. And, it was only after a senior CII office bearers called on Modi and tendered an apology over the events that the situation calmed down.

"CII could not partner Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summits (VGGIS) in 2005 and 2007. But now, the presence of Mr K V Kamath at the helm has changed the situation. CII is going to partner VGGIS '09," said a senior government official.