'Japan should participate in Make in India initiative'

India and Japan are natural partners in information and communication technology (ICT) and Japanese companies should take part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative, Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here Wednesday.

"I invite Japan to come and Make in India. There is immense scope for Japanese companies to come and invest in India in the manufacturing sector. The two countries have huge scope in electronics, manufacturing and ICT services," he said at the inaugural session of the 2nd India-Japan Joint Working Group meeting.

He added that Japanese companies who manufacture in India will get the same export benefits as Indian companies.

"But the larger issue is this relationship should get cemented. The warmth that PM Modi has developed with (Japanese Prime Minister) Shinzo Abe is evident...," the minister added.

Modi visited Japan in September.

Prasad and Yasuo Sakamoto, vice minister of International Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC) of Japan had met on the sidelines of ICT Ministerial meeting at Brunei Sep 9.

They had discussed matters of mutual interest in the field of ICT and decided to hold a joint working group in Delhi in December 2014. This joint working group meeting is part of this ongoing process of cooperation.

"Yasuo Sakamoto is going to Bangalore tomorrow (Thursday) to have a meeting with Nasscom," said Prasad.

"We need to speed up this joint working group meet. In the field of manufacturing, technology, sharing of information, there is an enormous scope for India and Japan to work together."

India provides 100 percent foreign direct investment in the field of ICT, which is perceived as an important criteria for countries investing in India.

The minister also mentioned Japan's technological expertise in manufacturing, power and hardware and spoke about India's rich demography.

The business honchos who are part of the delegation are Hiroshi Tohjo, vice president, NTT Network Innovation Laboratories, Shin Sakamoto, vice president, NEC Corporation and Kosuke Urata, director, public sector business unit, Fujitsu Limited.