A STRONG SAYONARA: Outgoing Japanese consul-general Yoshikazu Takeuchi. Picture by Aranya Sen

Outgoing Japanese consul-general in Calcutta Yoshikazu Takeuchi feels it’s “now or never” for Japanese business to boost presence in Bengal, and that “five years later will be too late”.

Speaking to Metro days before ending his stint in the city, the 63-year-old diplomat, who has spent more than a decade of his career in the subcontinent, wished he could catalyse more investment from his country in the state during his short, 16-month stay.

“As I find it difficult to say sayonara to all the wonderful people I befriended in this warm city, there’s a slight tinge of disappointment over what could have been. This is the time to come to Bengal and if we don’t move fast, others will,” he warned. While Takeuchi is delighted Mitsubishi Chemicals doubled its capacity, some near-misses clearly rankle.

The LRT (light rail transit) system, for which Japanese companies Jetro and JART had sent teams to the city to carry out feasibility studies, and the Raichak-Kukrahati bridge link were both top-priority projects for the mission.

“We strongly believe the solution to Calcutta’s transport woes lies either underground or over, not on the surface. For this, a light system is required and Japan has the requisite expertise in this area,” the consul-general emphasised.

The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government’s land deal with the Salim Group as a rider to the Raichak bridge implementation has also drawn a frown from the Japanese consulate.

“This bridge is very important and if the government wants to jump at private money, it’s their decision. Nonetheless, our commitment to infrastructure development in Calcutta and Bengal remains as strong as ever and the state is still a priority in our ODA (official development assistance) grants,” Takeuchi declared.

While Japanese ODA overall has been pruned 50 per cent, India’s share has jumped 15 per cent after Japan declared India its “most important partner” for ODA, following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit last year.

Notwithstanding the pledge that funds flow won’t dry up, the diplomat felt there were still a few deterrents to Japanese investment in the state. Besides poor infrastructure, he listed the lack of a freight corridor, a deep-sea port and a “modern airport” as principal roadblocks.

“Also, the fact that there isn’t a variety of ancillary industries here, is a damper for a biggie like Toyota to come and set up shop. At the same time, manufacturing is good for Bengal and Japan is good at manufacturing and technology transfer,” he added.

As part of the bilateral treaty to increase flight connection to India four-fold, a Tokyo-New Delhi flight of Japan Airlines could soon stop in Calcutta, hoped Takeuchi, who is leaving the city with “fond memories”.

The Japanese are importing table rose, Arambag chicken and shrimps from Bengal, besides assisting in solid waste management, environment engineering, and augmenting power plants in Purulia and Bakreswar.

The Tatas’ small car project in Singur is a “confidence-booster”, he felt. “However, the slur on Suzuki was totally unnecessary, more so as we go back a long way, since Japan bought steel technology from the Tatas after the war,” the diplomat observed.

A keen scholar of both Tagore and Nazrul (he has also served in the Japanese mission in Dhaka) and an admirer of Benodebehari, Takeuchi hoped cultural exchanges between Calcutta and Japan will get a shot in the arm on the completion of the Japan-India cultural centre in Salt Lake.