IT exports to Japan touch $531 million

New Delhi, May 20: India's software and services exports to Japan has touched 531 million dollars in 2005-06, leaving enough scope for increasing its share in the Japanese IT market.

''Japan is the second largest IT software and services market in the world preceded only by the US. Its domestic market stands at 91 billion dollars,'' Advisor to the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) S C Ray said in a conference.

The current export workout to be 0.58 per cent of the estimated domestic Japanese IT market and hence there are more options there to tap the growing market, he said.

The meagre exports depend on various market entry constraints, including lack of skill on the part of Indian IT professionals to communicate in Japanese language and lack of orientation to their culture, etiquette and business practices, Mr Ray added.

He said the country's hardware exports to Japan during the last fiscal stood at 42.19 million dollars.

India's electronics hardware export last fiscal stood at 2,890 million dollars while computer software and services exports were 33,757 million dollars.

UNI