Bangkok [Thailand]: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today met Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Kazuhiko Amakawa, on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok. The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in clean energy, semiconductors and critical minerals. In a social media post, Finance Ministry said, the discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in energy transition, advanced manufacturing, electric mobility and resilient supply chains. They also explored cooperation through the 600-million-dollar India-Japan Fund and Japanese participation in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
During the meeting, Ms Sitharaman encouraged Japanese investors to explore opportunities in data centres in Tier Two and Tier Three cities, including Visakhapatnam. She said such investments could help promote more balanced urban development.
Mr Amakawa highlighted the success of the India-Japan Fund in electric mobility and bioethanol. He also expressed hope for a follow-on fund and noted growing Japanese interest in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and data centres.
The Finance Minister is on a five-day official visit to Bangkok in Thailand, till 18th of this month to attend the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings.
[AIR News]