Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said the state was ready to host Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe here any moment.

Sonowal told Japanese ambassador to India Santoshi Suzuki — who called on him at his office here on Tuesday — that though the visit which was scheduled for December 14 had to be postponed because of unrest in the city following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act, the state is now fully ready to host the Prime Minister.

The unrest left five dead in the city.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to hold a summit with Abe here on December 14 and 15 .

Opening the door of Assam for investment, Sonowal said 600 acres of land had been earmarked in the state for industrial township and requested Suzuki to impress upon Japan External Trade Organisation to extend its operations in the state.

Sonowal also requested the Japanese envoy to look into the expeditious completion of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted Guwahati metropolitan drinking water project.

Suzuki said he himself had visited the project site and maintained that though the work was progressing satisfactorily, his office would get in touch with JICA to complete the project on a fast-track basis.

Sonowal and Suzuki also discussed issues such as road connectivity, enhancement of livelihood, empowerment of women, youth exchange programme and constant people-to-people contact.

Suzuki said Japan was willing to invest in road projects, bridges, manufacturing sectors, healthcare and food processing.

On the Japanese envoy’s emphasis that Japan needs youths from the state who will be fluent in Japanese language, Sonowal said under Skill Development Mission in Assam, 200 youths from the state, apart from getting different skill enhancement training, would be taught Japanese language.