Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil, on Friday, held discussions with Japan’s Consul General Nakane Tsutomu here, regarding the possibility of starting direct flight services from Bengaluru to the major Japanese industrial cities of Osaka and Nagoya.Speaking afterwards, the Minister said that the state government would take necessary initiatives to strengthen investment, cultural and educational ties with Japan, as well as promote skill development such as language learning.In connection with this, a 10-day official visit to Japan is planned starting from September 6.

At present, there is only a direct flight service from Bengaluru to Japan’s capital, Tokyo.During the Global Investors Meet held in February this year, several Japanese companies agreed to invest Rs 7,500 crore in Karnataka across sectors such as data centres, manufacturing, and logistics, Minister Patil said.Therefore, it is necessary to start direct flights from Bengaluru to Japan’s industrial hubs like Osaka and Nagoya, the Minister added.