India-Japan ties advance with focus on semiconductors, Smart City investments in Dholera

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Japan’s Ambassador to India, Keiichi Ono, led a high-level delegation of leading Japanese companies on an official visit to Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat, the greenfield smart industrial city under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), according to a statement issued by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Thursday.

The visit marked a significant milestone in advancing industrial cooperation between India and Japan, built on shared values of innovation, sustainability and inclusive development.

The two-day engagement commenced with a conference session in Ahmedabad, followed by a site visit to Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR). The Japanese delegation undertook an on-ground tour of the city’s planned infrastructure and facilities, accompanied by officials from Dholera Industrial City Development Ltd. (DICDL) and the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC).

The site visit included the Water Treatment Plant, Canal Front Development, Power Substation, the under-construction Tata Electronics semiconductor fabrication plant, and the ABCD Building, which houses the Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC) and the Experience Centre.

The delegation was briefed on the Tata Electronics semiconductor fabrication facility, being developed in partnership with Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) of Taiwan. This project, a key component of the Semicon India Programme, forms part of over Rs 1.54 lakh crore in semiconductor-related investments underway in Gujarat.

The delegation also reviewed Dholera’s planned social infrastructure -- including a multi-specialty hospital, fire station, integrated school, premium guest house, residential and commercial complexes, and hospitality hubs -- designed to make Dholera a fully livable and investor-ready smart city.

Dholera represents India’s Vision 2047 of becoming a developed, self-reliant, and innovation-driven economy. With multimodal connectivity through the Ahmedabad–Dholera Expressway and the upcoming Greenfield International Airport, plug-and-play industrial zones, real-time governance via ICCC, and robust utility infrastructure, Dholera is envisioned as more than just an industrial base.

The visit by the Japanese delegation highlights Dholera’s rising global prominence and its potential to serve as India’s gateway to advanced manufacturing, the official statement added.

--IANS

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