Sri Lanka has sought assistance from the Japanese cosmetic industry to reacquire and secure patent rights of indigenous Sri Lankan plants and herbs.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made this request from a visiting Japanese delegation comprising representatives from Japan's cosmetics industry and researchers when they met the President at Temple Trees on April 10.

During the discussion with the Japanese delegation, President Rajapaksa spoke about the problem Sri Lanka is facing with regard to patent rights of various plants and herbs and requested assistance in reacquiring those patent rights.

The seven-member Japanese delegation is in Sri Lanka to explore the possibility of establishing a research center in the country.

The visit was headed by Shoichi Kobayashi, the President and CEO of Albion, a global luxury cosmetics manufacturer, and included Prof. Watanabe Toshihiro of the Tokyo Agricultural University.