Around 50 government officials, researchers, and others from Japan and India gathered in New Delhi for a meeting to discuss promoting economic security cooperation between the two countries. Participants confirmed the importance of establishing supply chains spanning both nations for strategic materials like semiconductors and rare earth minerals. Both countries face the shared challenge of diversifying supply chains amid China's export restrictions on rare earths and the protectionist high-tariff policies of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
On December 11, 2025, around 50 government officials, researchers, and others from Japan and India attended a meeting in New Delhi hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think tank, to discuss the promotion of economic security cooperation between the two countries.
Participants confirmed the importance of setting up supply chains spanning the two nations for procuring strategic materials such as semiconductors and rare earth minerals. Japan and India share the common challenge of diversifying their supply chains, having both been affected by China's rare earth export restrictions and the protectionist high-tariff policy of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Japanese Ambassador to India Keiichi Ono, who took part in the meeting, emphasized that Japan and India share the same destiny and must work together. He added that deepening private-sector ties, beyond just government-to-government relations, is essential to realize the agreement reached at the August Japan-India summit on bilateral cooperation in semiconductors and other fields.
Additionally, a senior official from an Indian unit of Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp. stated that the company is working with the Indian government to lay undersea cables crucial for economic security. An official from the Japan Science and Technology Agency introduced initiatives to support joint research between Japan and India.
The meeting highlights concrete steps for both countries to strengthen economic security, suggesting potential progress in cooperation for stable supplies of strategic materials.