NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi ’s unprecedented announcement to create a special management team under the PMO and include two nominees from Japan in that cell to facilitate Tokyo ’s investment proposals isn’t without a reason.For, as a mechanism in the PMO to assist investments from the East Asian country in the UPA regime, it didn’t yield much in the last few years. Former Principal Secretary to Manmohan Singh and later his adviser, TKA Nair, was the point person for facilitating Japanese investments to India since 2006, sources told ET.However, this mechanism didn’t yield results during the last few years due to policy paralysis. Subsequently, in the initial days of the Modi government, the Japanese government found it difficult to move their proposals and suggestions in the absence of a point person in the PMO, sources revealed.“PM Modi’s announcement for a special team may have taken all by surprise, but was made under these circumstances,” a source versed with the developments told ET.There have been similar efforts in the past to facilitate Japanese investment into India. “In the days of Rajiv Gandhi, it was decided that the PM will personally monitor investments from Japan and Germany . Both have been steadfast development partners of India,” former media adviser to Rajiv Gandhi and India’s former High Commissioner to Pakistan and Australia, G Parthasarathy, told ET.Sources recalled the Ministry of Commerce had a mechanism to facilitate Japanese investments in India: this was initially managed by junior officials and later upgraded to the joint secretary level.Then it was upgraded to the PMO level since 2006 as it was felt that push and drive should come from the top. This was done to not only facilitate and expedite Japan’s investment proposals but also for better coordination among finance, commerce and other aligned ministries, sources pointed out.The scale of Japanese FDI as well as support for various infrastructure projects in India has been on an upward trajectory over the past decade, and now Modi wants to raise it to the next level following his deep personal commitment towards this relationship with Japan, sources claimed.