Odisha Chief Secretary Smt. Anu Garg met Japan’s Consul General in Kolkata, Ishikawa Yoshihisa, in Bhubaneswar today to advance discussions on a proposed Friendship Agreement between Odisha and Tottori Prefecture.
Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma also joined the meeting.
The meeting followed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s interaction with the Consul General on May 20. Officials discussed the draft framework of the Odisha–Tottori partnership, which envisions cooperation in industry, economy, tourism, youth exchange, culture, and environment.
The Government of Odisha highlighted the state’s growing industrial ecosystem and opportunities in advanced manufacturing, skill development, tourism, and cultural exchanges. Both sides explored collaboration in Japanese language training, student and faculty exchange programs, tourism promotion with emphasis on the Buddhist circuit, sports cooperation, and industry linkages.
Plans were made to hold a coordination meeting involving the Government of Odisha, the Embassy of India in Tokyo, and the Tottori Prefectural Government to finalise modalities and timelines for the partnership.
The Odisha–Japan collaboration aims to strengthen people-to-people ties and promote long-term cooperation across economic, cultural, educational, and industrial sectors. The proposed Friendship Agreement is expected to serve as a milestone in enhancing Odisha’s global engagement.
