Lucknow/New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh govt’s efforts to attract investment from Japan finally bore fruit with a virtual ground-breaking of two projects during the six-day, multi-city UP-Japan Investment Cooperation Meet held in New Delhi on Wednesday.A delegation of over 200 investors and business leaders from the Japanese state, led by Governor Kotaro Nagasaki, is attending the meet.Having a combined worth of Rs 3,191 crore, the two projects involving Japanese technology and partnerships will come up in Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) area.The projects are the outcome of a sustained investment outreach by the state. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had visited Japan in Feb to invite Japanese companies to invest in UP.Invest UP subsequently pursued the proposals and facilitated engagement with Japanese investors, culminating in the six-day programme involving business, govt and industry representatives from Japan.The ceremony was held in the presence of Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Yogi, who pledged all-out support to investors from Yamanashi prefecture of Japan.One of the two projects is a Rs 2,025-crore manufacturing facility by Escorts Kubota Ltd in Sector 10. The facility will manufacture tractors, construction equipment and allied products and is expected to generate over 3,800 jobs.“The project speaks for our company’s long-term commitment to UP. It would help build a strong export base by combining Japanese technology with Indian capabilities,” said Kubota Corporation president and CEO Shingo Hanada.The other investment of Rs 1,166 crore came from Minda Corporation, which will set up two projects in Sectors 10 and 24. These units will manufacture automotive components, including mechatronic components and wiring systems.“We have been present in UP for over 40 years and currently employ some 9,000 people. While turning our plans to expand into advanced technology, EV products, electronics and design and development centres into reality, we thought about this investment,” said Aakash Minda, executive director, Minda Corporation. He added that the venture would create 6,000-8,000 additional jobs.Pitching UP as a long-term industrial partner for Japan, Yogi said he wanted Japanese companies to make the state their “second industrial home” with cooperation extending beyond factories to technology, R&D, skill centres and global supply chains. “Japanese manufacturing excellence and UP’s young workforce can together create a new skill ecosystem,” he said.Chouhan called for Japanese technology to reach farmers and rural areas, particularly through machinery suited to small and marginal farmers. Vaishnaw highlighted opportunities in electronics, semiconductors, railways, defence and agriculture, and invited Japanese companies to “invest in India, invest in Uttar Pradesh.”Nagasaki said the participation of more than 200 Japanese delegates reflected the growing engagement between Yamanashi and UP, with green hydrogen, human-resource development, tourism and governance emerging as areas for further cooperation.A round table with chief executive officers and business leaders led by UP CM and senior officials was also held on the first day along with sector-specific discussions.Over the next few days, the Japanese delegation would visit Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi and Sarnath to explore possibilities in cultural and tourism sectors.