Guwahati/Shillong, Feb 7 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday said that his state has initiated interventions to promote collaboration and partnership with Japan, leveraging India's strong bilateral relationship with the East Asian nation.

"We firmly believe in a strong partnership, trust, and relationship with Japan. Our Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken every step to ensure that the foundation laid between the two nations benefits both for economic prosperity,' the Chief Minister said while addressing the 5th India-Japan Conclave held in Guwahati.

The CM also remarked that the vision of the Prime Minister has inspired Meghalaya to take advantage of the strong bilateral ties with Japan.

"We are not a big state, but we have our own strengths and opportunities. We are focused on moving forward in our way. We will do a few things, but we will do them well," he added.

Discussing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two nations by enhancing trade and investment flows, the Chief Minister said that the state has opened opportunities for its youth to undergo training for employment in Japan. He emphasised that the young population of Meghalaya is its strength.

Starting with a few nurses who were recruited, the state has now opened vast opportunities with a target to train as many as 3,000 nurses in the coming years.

"When recruitment agencies wanted to hire nurses from Meghalaya, the youth were apprehensive, parents were worried about safety, and many were concerned about the fees involved for training in the Japanese language," Sangma said, adding that the state government is now providing financial support for the training and ensuring the safety of youth recruited by agencies to work in Japan's healthcare sector.

"Initially, the youth did not trust the recruiting agencies as the training cost was high. The state government intervened and resolved the problem. We are now paying for the training as well as ensuring the safety of our youth," he said.

"I personally went to Japan to drop off the first batch. Already, 50 nurses from the state are working in different parts of Japan, and 500 are currently learning Japanese. This number will swell to 3,000, and may even reach 5,000 in the next four to five years," the Chief Minister added.

He also stated that the state is exploring opportunities and collaborations in skills other than nursing to send its human resources to Japan.

"Meghalaya has a young population, with close to 45 per cent of the population below the age of 19 years. This is our advantage, and we want to provide opportunities for our youth to explore avenues beyond the state and the country," the CM said.

/IANS