CHENNAI: Japan on Thursday slammed the DMK regime for not doing enough to improve the infrastructure in Tamil Nadu and hoped that the new government under Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will take positive steps to resolve the problem.Delivering his keynote address at the luncheon meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Japan’s Ambassador, Akitaka Saiki, said the previous DMK regime promised to improve roads and the port, but no action was taken during the last five years.“I met the AIADMK leader and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and highlighted the issues. She vowed to look into the issue and I have a positive feeling that the new government will work in this regard. The state and the Union government have to address the issue urgently,” Saiki said.“If infrastructure is not improved, then Japanese companies will have to look to other states to set up industries,” he warned.Stressing the need to boost trade ties with India, Saiki also said a huge trade delegation from Japan will be visiting India in September, and Chennai will be one of the key cities on their agenda.He said the delegation’s arrival has special significance as it would be the first major initiative after the coming into force of the Comprehensive Economic and Political Agreement (CEPA) between Japan and India, which would come into force in August 2011.Saikai said almost half of Japanese businesses were in Tamil Nadu, especially in Chennai, because of the conducive investment environment and supportive government policies. “Chennai offered Japanese businessmen good scope for manufacture and exports,” he said.He said the Japanese Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) has supported several projects in India, including the Chennai Metro. He expressed hope that the project would be completed as per schedule.T T Ashok, chairman, CII Southern Region and Managing Director, Taylor Rubber Pvt Ltd, said it was surprising to note that trade between the world’s third largest economy and the fastest growing economy was only $10 billion.Japanese investment was only about $25 billion. “There is better scope for improving both,” he said.“Of the 700 Japanese companies in India, 240 were in Tamil Nadu. However, the investment package mainly comprised of electronic hardware and automobile sectors. Japanese investors could look at steel, bio-technology and infrastructure as new avenues of investment,” Ashok said.“During the 12th Five-Year Plan, India proposed to invest $1 trillion in the infrastructure sector and $70 billion in power. Tamil Nadu alone was having plans for $360 million investment in road projects,” he added.
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