Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will undertake a week-long official tour to Japan on Tuesday in a bid to attract Japanese investments to the State in various sectors, officials said on Monday.

Patnaik is likely to attend programmes in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka and return on April 9, Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a statement.

A business delegation from Odisha comprising a select group of industries in the steel, aluminium, textiles, food, sea-food processing, green hydrogen and green ammonia sectors, will also accompany the delegation to explore opportunities for collaboration with Japanese business houses, it said.

During their visit, the high-level delegation will conduct one-to-one meetings with potential investors, host the Odisha Business Meet Tokyo 2023, and hold an interactive meeting with the Odia diaspora in Japan.

The delegation will also make a visit to the Kimitsu Steel Works and the R&D Center of Nippon Steel Corporation. Further, the delegation will also explore avenues of collaboration in the areas of skill development and high-tech start-ups, the statement added.

The State’s delegation will also hold a roundtable discussion in Kyoto on opportunities for collaboration between Japan and Odisha in the Tourism sector, focusing on Buddhist and Eco-Tourism related sites in Odisha.

Moreover, in view of the significant strides made by Odisha in development of the sports ecosystem, it is also planned to explore possible collaboration in training and development of sports talent in Odisha, it concluded.

The visit of the Chief Minister to Japan reinforces the commitment of the State government to promote Odisha as a favourable investment destination and strengthen the emerging economic and cultural ties with Japan.

During the Make in Odisha conclave 2022, Japan was a country partner and the Ambassador to Japan in India participated in the plenary session and had invited the Chief Minister to visit Japan.

The delegation includes among others State’s Industries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Pratap Keshari Deb, Chief Secretary P K Jena, Principal Secretary, Industries Department Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary, Electronics, Information Technology Department Manoj Mishra, and Managing Director, Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) Bhupendar Poonia.

V K Pandian, Secretary to CM and Vineel Krishna, Special secretary, will also accompany the Chief Minister during the Japan tour, it concluded.