News
Japanese entrepreneur praises Lankan FM, applauds change in political culture
Kazuhiro Hanzaki, Chairman of the Japan-based Enterprise United Co-operative, has expressed profound admiration for Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister following high-level discussions linked to a landmark partnership aimed at expanding employment opportunities for Sri Lankan youth in Japan’s electrical engineering sector.
The remarks came in the wake of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 7 January 2026 between Enterprise United Co-operative and the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency, opening doors for qualified Sri Lankan youth with National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) to seek promising careers in Japan.
Speaking warmly about his experience with the Sri Lankan leadership, Hanzaki said he was genuinely “overwhelmed with the simplicity, dedication, transparency and patriotism displayed by the Foreign Minister especially.”
“When I was to meet with the Minister, I never expected such a gentleman,” Hanzaki shared. “He has made Sri Lanka proud. I will be mentioning this positive political culture change in Sri Lanka to my fellow Japanese businessmen and will encourage them to visit and invest in Sri Lanka. This type of behaviour, support and efficiency is world-class – and this is what the Japanese people expected from Sri Lanka and its leadership for decades.”
Hanzaki’s praise highlights a broader shift in international perceptions of Sri Lanka’s governance and diplomatic engagement following several recent cooperative initiatives between Sri Lanka and Japan, including technical and economic collaborations.
This endorsement from the Japanese business community not only reinforces the significance of the newly signed MoU but also signals a growing confidence among foreign investors in Sri Lanka’s evolving political and economic landscape.
Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 22.07.2024 to publish the draft bill of State Assets Management Act in the government gazette notification and thereby present it to the Parliament for its concurrence.
However, the draft bill couldn’t be passed in Parliament as a result of the Parliament being dissolved in the month of October 2024.
Thereafter, the draft bill was subject to further inspection by a
committee appointed which comprised of officials and authorities on the subject.
The said Committee has recognized the amendments to be made and a fundamental draft has been prepared including the proposed amendments.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to suspend further activities regarding the draft bill of State Assets Management Act published in the extraordinary gazette of 02.08.2024, and to direct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill based on the fundamental draft prepared by the subject specialists’ committee.
Considering the compliance of the Cooperative Societies’ operations with the concurrent socio – economic circumstances as well as the changes in the common law, the requirement of amending the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 of 1972 has been recognized.
A fundamental draft including proposed amendments based on the experience gained by that Commission as well as the opinions and proposals of Cooperative societies, their director board members, cooperative employees and other interested parties has been prepared.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative development to provide instructions to the Legal draftsman to prepare a draft bill to amend the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 0f 1972, based on the said fundamental draft.
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