Uttar Pradesh showcases historical tourism to Japanese delegation | India News

 

Uttar Pradesh, which is among the major investment and tourist destinations in India, today showcased its rich historical tourism spectrum to the visiting Japanese delegation from the island nation’s Yamanashi Prefecture.

 

A 200-strong Japanese delegation comprising investors and business captains is participating in five-day deliberations to explore mutual investment opportunities between Uttar Pradesh and Japan.

 

The delegation is on a five-city tour, which included the inaugural session in New Delhi yesterday, apart from engagements in Agra, Lucknow, Greater Noida and Varanasi.

 

On the second day of the tour, a traditional Braj welcome followed by a visit to the world-famous Taj Mahal marked the beginning of the Uttar Pradesh tourism journey of the high-level Japanese delegation.

 
 

Led by Kotaro Nagasaki, governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, and Junichi Ishidera, vice-governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, the delegation reached Agra after an engagement at Galgotias University, Greater Noida, earlier in the day.

 

At Galgotias University, two agreements were signed to expand global career opportunities for students and accelerate joint research in the field of green hydrogen.

 

Through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Yamanashi Prefectural Government and a letter of intent (LoI) with the University of Yamanashi, the foundation was laid for long-term cooperation ranging from talent mobility to clean energy research.

 

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh and Director General, UP Tourism, Vedpati Mishra, hosted the visitors at Agra.

 

After visiting the Taj Mahal, Kotaro Nagasaki said, “I had seen the Taj Mahal many times in photographs, but being here allows you to notice the craftsmanship and proportion in a completely different way. From a distance it appears grand, but when you come closer, it is the detail that stays with you.”

 

“Taj Mahal gives our guests a familiar point of entry into Uttar Pradesh, but the journey ahead will introduce them to very different experiences. Lucknow will bring them closer to our hospitality, cuisine and tourism ecosystem, while eastern Uttar Pradesh will open up the Buddhist and spiritual connect that India and Japan have shared for centuries. We want the delegation to experience these places as parts of one larger journey,” Jaiveer Singh said.

 

Praising the Braj welcome, Junichi Ishidera said, “The Peacock Dance, Bam Rasiya and the traditional welcome gave us a meaningful introduction to the culture of the region. It makes a visitor curious about the place even before the sightseeing begins.”

 

Following the Agra visit, the delegation will proceed to Lucknow to participate in a tourism engagement on Friday, including a roundtable with over 50 tour operators, hoteliers and entrepreneurs.

 

The Lucknow engagement will focus on tourism and hospitality cooperation, including Buddhist tourism, wellness, cultural exchange and new visitor experiences.

 

The delegation will later travel towards Varanasi as part of its Uttar Pradesh programme.

 

“Tourism gives the India-Japan relationship a very human dimension because people experience each other’s culture directly. If this journey encourages more Japanese travellers to discover Uttar Pradesh and leads to stronger exchanges between our tourism institutions, it will create value well beyond this visit,” Jaiveer Singh added.

 

Yesterday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wooed Japanese investors by showcasing the state’s pro-development policies and a robust industrial land bank of 75,000 acres.

 

Addressing the UP-Japan Investment Meet 2026 on Wednesday in New Delhi, Yogi highlighted that Uttar Pradesh has 17 operational airports, two Dedicated Freight Corridors and metros in seven cities.

 

Commenting on the potential of business alignment between Uttar Pradesh and Japan, he noted: “The partnership should now extend beyond factories to technology centres, R&D facilities, skill centres and global supply chains.”

 

The chief minister suggested convergence of Japan’s strengths in precision, quality, research and manufacturing with Uttar Pradesh’s vast workforce, infrastructure, market and policy ecosystem.

 

Kotaro Nagasaki, governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, has identified green hydrogen, human-resource development, tourism and governance as priority areas and highlighted the scope for combining Yamanashi’s hydrogen ecosystem with Uttar Pradesh’s renewable-energy and industrial potential.

 

The two sides also held a virtual ground-breaking ceremony (GBC) for two mega projects of Escorts Kubota and Minda Corporation worth ₹3,191 crore, with combined employment potential of more than 10,000 people.

 

These projects will come up at the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), which has emerged as a major investment magnet in north India.

 

The two projects are expected to provide an anchor for the proposed 500-acre Japanese City near the Noida International Airport (NIA) in the National Capital Region (NCR).

 

Located close to semiconductor, electronics and data-centre ecosystems in Uttar Pradesh, the dedicated Japanese City will provide Japanese companies with an integrated industrial environment.

 

The UP-Japan Investment Meet 2026 is aimed at exploring opportunities across manufacturing, electronics, semiconductors, green hydrogen, agriculture, skills, tourism and technology.

 

Yogi said Japanese business practices such as Kaizen, 5S, green manufacturing, robotics and precision engineering can help build an industry-ready workforce and deepen technology transfer in Uttar Pradesh.

 

Escorts Kubota’s ₹3,025 crore project in YEIDA will manufacture tractors, construction equipment and allied products for domestic and export markets. It is expected to generate employment for more than 3,800 people.

 

Minda Corporation’s two projects in YEIDA involve a combined investment of ₹1,166 crore and are expected to create around 6,440 jobs. The facilities will manufacture ignition switch-cum-steering locks, mechatronic components, wiring harnesses and related connection systems.

 

The UP-Japan Investment Meet 2026 has reinforced Uttar Pradesh’s pitch for a sustained Japanese industrial ecosystem spanning manufacturing, skills, technology and global supply chains, supporting the state’s $1 trillion economy goal.