Japanese investment delegation here in November

With the dawn of peace, a 40 member high level Japanese trade and investment mission is due to visit Sri Lanka in November.

During their visit to Sri Lanka, the 15th Joint Committee Meeting of the Sri Lanka Japan and Japan - Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Committee is scheduled to be held from 18th to 20th November, in Colombo. The 14th Joint Committee Meeting was held in Tokyo in May 2006. Part of the joint meeting would also be devoted to one to one business meetings between the Japanese and Sri Lankan business community.

The objectives of the joint meetings are to promote trade, investment, tourism and services between the two countries.

Activities of the Sri Lanka-Japan Business Co-operation Committee (SLJBCC) are co-ordinated by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce whilst the activities of the Japan-Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Committee (JSLBCC) are co-ordinated by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Tokyo, Japan. The two Committees were set up in 1979.

Sri Lanka and Japan have had a long standing historical relationship in political, trade and economic fields. Japan assisted to develop large scale infrastructure projects specially Power and Energy, Health, Education, Television System, IT etc. Among those, projects Sri Lanka Rupavahini Television Station, Sri Jayawardhanapura General Hospital, Teaching Hospital in Peradeniya, development of the Port of Colombo, Samanalawewa Hydro Power Plant, Mahaweli Road Bridge and the Friendship Bridge over Kelaniya River stand as monuments of the everlasting friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan. At present, there are approximately 60 enterprises with Japanese investment operating in Sri Lanka under the BOI Law providing over 12,000 employment opportunities in addition to a number of small scale enterprise with Japanese investment operating under the normal laws of the country engaged in restaurants, apparel, tourism & travel and export trading.