Sri Lanka is aiming to revive Japanese manufacturing investment through a proposed export-industrial corridor designed to position the island as a regional production hub for India and other export markets, officials said following a high-level Japanese delegation’s meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday.
Discussions at the Presidential Secretariat focused on enhancing economic cooperation and advancing plans for the Sri Lanka–Japan export-industrial corridor, an initiative expected to attract export-oriented Japanese manufacturers and strengthen bilateral trade ties.
The meeting followed President Dissanayake’s official visit to Japan last September, during which both sides signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on the proposed corridor. Officials noted renewed interest from the Japanese government and business community after nearly a decade, expressing optimism that the corridor could boost exports, industrial trade, and investment, while enhancing Sri Lanka’s position as a regional manufacturing and export hub.
The Japanese delegation included Takehiko Matsuo, Vice Minister for International Affairs at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI); Ambassador Akio Isomata; Fumihiko Kobayashi, Chairman of the Japan–Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Committee; and senior representatives from METI, JETRO, JICA, and major Japanese trading houses.
Sri Lankan officials present included Senior Economic Advisor to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, Trade Ministry Secretary K.A. Vimalenthirarajah, and Export Development Board Chairman and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe.
