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Strengthening Tech Ties: India-Japan alliance deepens to unlock next phase of growth
Strengthening Tech Ties: India-Japan alliance deepens to unlock next phase of growth

August 30, 2025

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The year 2025-26 has been declared the ‘India–Japan Year of Science, Technology and Innovation Exchanges,’ marking 40 years of cooperation between the two nations. To further strengthen ties between the two countries, the Indian Prime Minister undertook a two-day official visit to Japan to attend the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit. During the Summit, Prime Ministers of the two nations reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and discussed ways to unlock the next phase of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which has grown steadily over the past 11 years.

The two countries signed more than a dozen agreements to expand strategic, economic and defence ties. Key among these was the India-Japan Joint Vision for the Next Decade, outlining a 10-year strategic roadmap for cooperation in eight areas - economic partnership, economic security, mobility, ecological sustainability, technology and innovation, health, people to people and state-prefecture engagements. Among these, the technology and innovation initiatives will be key in shaping the next frontier of tech collaboration between the two countries.

A look at the historical trajectory of tech-ties between India-Japan and the new initiatives outlined during the recent summit…

Flashback, India-Japan tech ties during the past decade

India and Japan have been actively collaborating to strengthen technology exchange and transfer.

Key India-Japan Tech and Innovation Partnerships (2015-2024)*  (Illustrative)

Year

Highlights of the partnership

2015

Agreement to build Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor using Japanese Shinkansen technology

2018

India-Japan Digital Partnership to develop AI and IoT solutions by utilizing Japan-India Start-up Hub

2020

Cybersecurity focused pact to promote joint efforts on AI, 5G and critical information infrastructure

2021

MoU covering ICT focused on 5G technology

2023

MoC for collaboration in the semiconductor domain

 

*The list is not exhaustive

Source: Secondary Research

Key initiatives have been the landmark agreement to construct the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor in 2015 using Japan’s advanced Shinkansen technology which involved robust tech-transfer to bolster India’s Make in India ambitions. Further, the India–Japan Digital Partnership signed in 2018 laid the groundwork for institutional research collaborations on internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) between IIT Hyderabad and Japan’s AIST in machine learning, deep learning, and data mining. Cooperation in 5G, AI, and critical information infrastructure was formalized through a cybersecurity-focused pact in 2020, promoting joint efforts in capacity building, supply chain integrity, and research and development.

In 2021, India and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on information and communications technology (ICT), with a strong emphasis on 5G technologies, telecom and spectrum security, smart cities, submarine optical-fiber connectivity to remote regions, and disaster management systems. More recently, in 2023, both nations entered a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) on semiconductor supply-chain partnership, a five-year pact that aims to deepen government-to-government (G2G) and business-to-business (B2B) collaboration in semiconductor design, manufacturing, equipment R&D, workforce development, and resilient supply-chain mechanisms.

Outlining a joint vision for the next decade

To further deepen tech collaboration, the recent Summit witnessed a plethora of announcements focused on dedicated cooperation initiatives on AI, semiconductors, start-ups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), quantum tech and other emerging technologies as well as sustainable mobility and clean energy.

  • Japan-India AI Cooperation Initiative (JAI)
    • JAI will promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation on AI, fostering an innovative and trusted AI ecosystem.
    • Beyond general AI development, the countries will also be undertaking research in food technology and agricultural sciences, including Advancing Innovations for Empowering Next Generation Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE).
  • JISSI to support the start-up ecosystem
    • Japan will also be launching the Japan-India Startup Support Initiative (JISSI) to expand business, link innovation ecosystems, and enable startups in both countries.
    • The partnership also aims to mobilize funds for start-ups, especially those in the artificial intelligence (AI) domain, through the dedicated India-Japan Fund of Funds.
  • India-Japan SME Forum
    • A forum dedicated towards encouraging cooperation between SMEs will be launched under which Japanese SMEs will be visiting India and focus will be on expanding downstream industries.
  • Focus on semiconductors, quantum and other new technologies
    • The two countries plan to actively identify and implement concrete projects in semiconductors and critical minerals. They would focus on promotion of cooperation on resilient supply chains and market diversification through the memorandum of cooperation on semiconductor supply chain partnership.
    • Both the nations also plan to tap into scientific and technological capabilities to promote research in foundational sciences and foster cross-sector collaboration on commercializing new technologies including quantum technology and high-performance computing.
  • Sustainable mobility and clean energy
    • The countries aim to manufacture automobiles, including those utilizing sustainable fuel and environment-friendly fuel storage. This includes a "Next Generation Mobility Partnership" that will leverage advanced technologies and Indian talent to address challenges in infrastructure, logistics, and mobility, focusing on sustainable and environment-friendly solutions.
    • Further, strengthened energy cooperation will be the focus under the India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership through the India-Japan Energy Dialogue. Efforts will also be undertaken to promote a circular economy through waste-to-energy technologies and recycling.

The way ahead

As India and Japan commemorate 4 decades of partnership, the 15th Annual India-Japan Summit marks a bold leap forward. In addition to the Joint Vision for the Next Decade, Japan has committed $68 billion private investment in India, along with establishing institutional frameworks for cooperation in AI, semiconductors and people-to-people exchange. Both countries have also agreed to facilitate the exchange of 500,000 people over the next 5 years. These commitments if coupled with swift implementation efforts will signal a new era of blending Japanese tech and Indian talent to accelerate innovation, economic growth and global tech leadership.

 

 

 

 


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Kuhu Singh
Manager, Research



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