Largest-ever Japanese delegation is set to visit Sri Lanka under ‘Little Japan’ initiative

• Key initiative by fully Japanese funded 5-star rated and 153 roomed transit hotel “Colombo International Airport Hotel”

Dr. Ruwan Perera

By Uma Chandrasiri

Sri Lanka’s first ever fully Japanese funded transit hotel, the Colombo International Airport Hotel, is gearing to welcome over 250 visitors from Japan end of August this year, ranging from potential investors to tourists, as the largest ever group to tour the island. 

It is an ambitious bid by the hotels’ founder and the visionary behind ‘Little Japan’- a bilateral cultural initiative between Japan and Sri Lanka, Dr. Ruwan Perera, to strengthen ties between the two nations and promote Sri Lanka as a foremost tourist attraction to the Japanese. This program is organised under the campaign banner ‘Japan returns to Sri Lanka’.

Addressing the media at the Colombo International Airport Hotel (CIAH) recently, Rowelmark Group of Companies and CIAH Chairman Dr. Ruwan Perera explained that the idea of ‘Little Japan’, his bold and optimistic initiative to restore the somewhat neglected bilateral relations between his motherland and his current home Japan, was conceived seven years ago. 

“Little Japan is a vision and not merely a target or a milestone with a timeline attached to it. Our late president J.R. Jayawardena earned great respect from the Japanese people which resulted in the creation of strong ties between the nations and increased Japanese cooperation. My dream is to bring back the honour, respect and the bonds between the nations that have slowly eroded with time. This visit by the 250 plus Japanese delegates is merely a start, I wish to increase the delegation size to close to a thousand next year”

“Little Japan is a bilateral bridge that enhances relations between Japan and Sri Lanka” said Rowelmark Group of Companies Chief Executive Officer-leisure, Saman Perera whose main focus is to direct investments channeled through the ‘Little Japan’ initiative, toward fostering the hospitality industry and tourism promotion in Sri Lanka. “The present-day Japanese traveller seeks authentic, safe and meaningful experiences along with the rich cultural heritage and the natural beauty of a destination which Sri Lanka has in abundance. What we lack is a strong bilateral relationship and this is what we seek to recreate through our work with ‘Little Japan’”. 

Speaking about the Colombo International Airport Hotel, he added, "Our vision for CIAH is to set a benchmark in the hospitality industry as the leading transit hotel in Sri Lanka and we are confident of achieving this goal having secured over a 75% occupancy within the first quarter of the opening.”

The 5-star rated and 153 roomed Colombo International Airport Hotel, built on a site area of 31.5 acres and in very close proximity to the Bandaranaike International Airport, offers its guests a choice of exclusive eateries including a plush rooftop restaurant, a bar, swimming pool, gymnasium and spa, meeting rooms as well as a dedicated airline crew lounge.

The ‘Little Japan’ initiative has succeeded in garnering a multitude of Japanese investment into Sri Lanka, the most significant being the $ 40 million funded, Colombo International Airport Hotel. Furthermore, Dr Perera and his dedicated team have built a strong bridge to foster tourism and a sense of community between the two countries with initiatives such as the Japan Expo in 2018 and 2019, a Japanese festival in 2020, hosting a 100-member group of Japanese mothers to tour the island and hosting a 45 member business delegation in 2025. 

Extending his dream and vision to repay his motherland, Dr Perera with the backing of ‘Little Japan’, has helped develop over 50 schools across the island and sponsored Sri Lankan students to study nursing care in Japan. He also plans to sponsor deserving school and university students for a week or two long stays in Japan with the aim of gifting them with valuable life lessons as well as opportunities to gain practical knowledge that may currently be lacking in local curriculums. Furthermore, Dr. Perera has secured over Rs. 10 million and 800 kilograms of essential medicines to the Colombo General Hospital through donations from Japanese philanthropists, including doctors and nurses who have visited Sri Lanka during the Covid pandemic.

Dr. Perera believes that the Japanese manufacturers view the Indian market as a highly viable option and that they could conduct market testing in Sri Lanka initially, in order to gain a foothold into India. When questioned as to the Sri Lankan Governments’ involvement in his projects, Dr. Perera confirmed that assistance is received but that these endeavors should not merely be the responsibility of a Government but all of its citizens, stating that “Sri Lanka is not only its Government, it’s all of her people”.

Having moved to Japan for studies 30 years ago, Perera, a PhD holder in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the prestigious University of Tokyo and the University of California, Berkeley, has dedicated his career towards fostering cooperation between the two nations and promoting economic growth in Sri Lanka. He is the Chief Envoy for Japan-Sri Lanka foreign employment relations and the Chief Representative for Japan at the Ayurvedic and Indigenous Medicine Ministry.