Minister Muto Attends the Japan-India Summit Meeting

1. Minister Muto’s attendance at the Japan-India Summit Meeting

On Friday, August 29, Minister Muto attended the summit meeting between Prime Minister Modi, who was visiting Japan on an Official Working Visit, and Prime Minister Ishiba.

During the summit meeting, the two leaders concurred to strengthen collaboration in the economic field, including the launch of the Japan-India Economic Security Initiative and efforts to reinforce the resilience of supply chains for critical materials. They welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Japan-India Digital Partnership 2.0 and the Joint Declaration of Intent on Clean Hydrogen and Clean Ammonia. They also expressed expectations for the promotion of mutually complementary development, exchange, and circulation of human resources between Japan and India, and announced the Japan-India Human Resource Exchange Initiative.

Following the meeting between the two leaders, Minister Muto and Mr. Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs of India, exchanged memoranda of cooperation and other documents announced on this occasion in the presence of both Prime Ministers.

2. Signing of four cooperation documents, including memoranda of cooperation

On the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan, four documents, including memoranda of cooperation, were signed between METI and the Government of India.

(1) Signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Japan-India Digital Partnership 2.0 with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India

On Monday, August 25, Minister Muto and H.E. Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Japan-India Digital Partnership 2.0.

1) Background

In the IoT era, in which the integration of hardware and software is crucial, Japan and India possess mutually complementary strengths in the digital field. Since the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Japan-India Digital Partnership by Mr. Seko Hiroshige, then-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, in October 2018, Japan has positioned India as a strategic partner in the digital field and has steadily strengthened bilateral collaboration.
To broaden the scope of cooperation and deepen collaboration, Japan and India have signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Japan-India Digital Partnership 2.0. In addition to existing initiatives, such as collaboration between digital enterprises, development of digital talent, and support for startups, the updated framework designates semiconductors, AI, and digital public infrastructure as key domains.
Japan continues to regard India as a strategic partner in the digital field and will take further efforts to contribute to strengthening collaboration and advancing economic ties between the two countries.

2) Key points of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Japan-India Digital Partnership 2.0

1. Semiconductor ecosystem: exploration of deeper engagement between semiconductor R&D institutions of the two countries; promotion of investment in semiconductors and related fields of both countries; and promotion of semiconductor supply chain resilience.
2. AI: cooperation in various multilateral fora, such as the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), the Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group, the United Nations, and the AI Safety Summit; knowledge sharing involving AI; and cooperation toward a trustworthy AI ecosystem.
3. Digital corporate partnership: development of products and solutions for global markets, networking in R&D, and promotion of investment in the electronics and IT sectors of both countries.
4. Digital public infrastructure (DPI): sharing of best practices on policies, rules, and regulations; exploration of the implementation of DPI solutions, including digital IDs; and cooperation in the development of DPI in key priority areas, such as finance, agriculture, and transportation.
5. Digital talent: development of global talent in the semiconductor field, expansion of the provision of educational programs by Japanese companies to Indian universities, implementation of internship programs, and hosting of job fairs in India.
6. R&D cooperation: sharing of expertise and experience related to Society 5.0 and India’s efforts; enhancement of cooperation in research in emerging technologies, such as high-performance computing (HPC), AI, and quantum computing; and support for projects to find solutions to issues with the use of digital technology.
7. Startup collaboration: collaboration between the startup ecosystems, encouragement of establishment of investment funds, sharing of best practices on Centers of Excellence (CoEs), and creation of opportunities for pitching and business matching between startups in the two countries.
8. Future network: cooperation in capacity building and training in cybersecurity, promotion of CERT-to-CERT cooperation activities, development of standards and accreditation processes, and cooperation in conformity assessment.

Related Materials

• MOC on the Japan-India Digital Partnership 2.0(PDF:181KB)

(2) The 11th Japan-India Energy Dialogue and issuance of a joint statement

On Monday, August 25, the 11th Japan-India Energy Dialogue was held. During the dialogue, the two countries reviewed achievements of past cooperation and confirmed potential areas of cooperation in the future in the following four areas: electricity and energy conservation, new and renewable energy, petroleum and natural gas, and coal. In addition, a joint statement was released regarding the dialogue.

Related Materials

• Joint Statement of the 11th Japan-India Energy Dialogue(PDF:200KB)

Related Link

• The 11th Japan-India Energy Dialogue Held

(3) Signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent on Clean Hydrogen and Clean Ammonia with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India

On Monday, August 25, during the Japan-India Energy Dialogue, Japan and India signed the Joint Declaration of Intent on Clean Hydrogen and Clean Ammonia, aiming to promote future bilateral cooperation in the fields of clean hydrogen and ammonia.

Related Materials

• Joint Declaration of Intent Between the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of the Government of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on Clean Hydrogen and Clean Ammonia(PDF:117KB)

(4) Signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Mineral Resources with the Ministry of Mines of India

On Thursday, August 28, Minister Muto and H.E. Mr. G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of Mines signed the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Mineral Resources.
The memorandum aims to strengthen cooperation through the exchange of policies and other information and establishment of joint investments, with the intention of expanding business opportunities between the two countries in the field of mineral resources.

Related Materials

• Memorandum of Cooperation Between the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and the Ministry of Mines of India in the Field of Mineral Resources(PDF:109KB)

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