"We plan to wait for the quantitative restrictions to be lifted so that Accord and other great cars can be imported as completely-built units through our subsidiary here", director and adviser Honda Motor Co, Nobuhiko Kawamoto, told The Financial Express. Despite a negative growth of around 6 per cent in scooters during April to December 1999, the company sees a great potential in the segment. "Honda's subsidiary being set up in Haryana will launch the latest, emission free, high-powered scooters which will be suitable for particularly urban areas", he added. The scooters will cater to niche segments of the market. One of the models which are being considered is a gearless scooter, he disclosed.

Earlier, speaking at a Japan-India business co-operation committee (JIBCC) meeting here on Wednesday, he hoped "these exchange activities with people will contribute to the creation of a new framework for Japan-India relations in the new millennium". "With this in mind, we have pursued various types of activities aimed at promoting bilateral trade and investment, the participation of Japanese companies in India's infrastructure development projects, development of tourist resources and exchange programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises", he added.

Two Japanese economic delegations, one a private initiative and the other a government-sponsored, will visit the country between February and April to improve trade ties between the countries. Former premier Ryutaro Hashimoto, who is coming here in mid-February for the Tata Energy Research Institute silver jubilee celebrations, may meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Japanese ambassador to India Hiroshi Hirabayashi said.

The delegation led by the private initiative would be headed by Denso Corporation chairman Isimaru, while the government sponsored one would "dwell upon issues of common concern and not on narrow areas'' during talks with Indian officials, Hirabayashi said.

Meanwhile, JIBCC standing committee chairman Jiro Aiko underscored three factors which would stimulate Japanese economic and political ties with India.

Aiko said, "ever since Vajpayee and Obuchi took the reins of the government, there has been an improvement in relations...Secondly, we have hopes from the second generation reforms initiated by the Indian Government and finally, since our overseas investment, which was down for the past 10 years, is all set to go up now, we see the dawn of a new Indo-Japanese relationship.'' Gokul Patnaik, leader of Indo-Japanese working group on food processing said the total output of the food processing sector by 2010 would be worth Rs 77,000 crore.

Japan has only focussed on automobile and electronics till now, and said that investment in food processing would have to come.

Emphasising that there should be infrastructure in the food chain, he said, "the Japanese can invest in warehousing, distribution, bulk handling of grains, inland storage and port areas''.