Destination Japan via Bangalore

Destination Japan via Bangalore
To Get Consulate In January Next Year
Prashanth G N | TNN

Bangalore: Visiting and doing business in Japan from Bangalore and South India will be easier from now on, thanks to Japan’s decision to set up its consulate in Bangalore.
Shigeyuki Shimamori, counsellor, Embassy of Japan, told The Times Of India on Wednesday that the consulate will start functioning from January 2008 and will house business and political units. It will also issue travel visas to enable easier business relations.
“The issuance of visas from here will make it a lot easier for people in India and Bangalore to travel to Japan. Visas will be issued only after January as we have to make arrangements for the office and staff,’’ Shimamori said. The plan is to set-up the consulate in and around MG Road to make it easily accessible to travellers. The consulate is expected to be spread over 6,000 sqft.
Japan already has consulates in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. Bangalore was selected as it is home to around 300 Japanese citizens, next only to New Delhi’s 1,500.
Most of them work for the automotive industry and the IT sector. The number of Japanese all over India is 3,500.
“Bangalore is a booming economy and Japanese companies are interested in coming here. The consulate will be very appropriate for that reason,’’ Shimamori said.
The Japanese Prime Minister, on his visit to India last month, was accompanied by a delegation of 140, many of whom are keen to invest in Bangalore.
“The Karnataka government has welcomed us and has been very cooperative. We can ask for nothing more,’’ Shimamori added.