Japan keen to build resilient supply chain of critical products, semiconductor with India: METI Vice Minister

NEW DELHI: While terming India as a trustful partner with a long history of development of cooperation, Matsuo Takehiko, Vice Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has said that Japan was keen to build a resilient supply chain of critical products including semiconductor with India.

The METI vice minister who led a 120-member delegation of 70 Japanese companies to India, told Asian Community News (ACN) Network, “Nowadays, lot of countries are more seriously considering economic security. And for that purpose we do need to build a resilient supply chain of key products with trustworthy partners. India is very trustful partner as we shared a very long history of trust. Therefore, we do hope that we (both) could build a resilient supply chain of critical products with India. Semiconductor is one of the area we could work together with India to build it’s supply chain.”

The minister said this on the side lines of the 3^rd JCCII Semiconductor Committee meeting held in New Delhi 10^th September. Ms. Kyoko Hokugo, Minister Economic and Development, Embassy of Japan was also present on this occasion.

“In today’s meeting, as many as 150 representatives from 70 Japanese companies joined. About 120 representatives were present in-person while the remaining joined the committee meeting virtually from Japan and Singapore,” the minister said.

When asked about the issue of elementary infrastructure available in India for such a high precision industry such as Semiconductor, he said that Japan could help in sharing the expertise and knowledge in improving infrastructure as well as for developing hi-tech industrial parks with the Indian government.

“We have a long history of economic and development cooperation in the infrastructure  such as water supply infrastructure, and industrial parks. We can share technology to develop such infrastructure with the Indian government,” he added.

The JCCII Semiconductor Committee was launched early this year at the initiative of the government and governmental institutions of Japan. The objective of the committee is to promote Japanese semiconductor companies in entering in India and to contribute toward the realization of cooperation between Japan and India in the semiconductor sector.

Besides Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), the Embassy of Japan in India, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) serve as the secretariat of the committee.

More than 80 companies have already joined the committee. Included are not only semiconductor parts manufacturers and semiconductor manufacturing equipment makers, but also companies from diverse sectors involved in semiconductor supply chain, such as logistics, construction, electricity, and gas.

The Representative Office in New Delhi of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), jointly with Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII), held the second meeting of the JCCII Semiconductor Committee on June 12, 2024. The meeting attracted over 100 participants, from the governments, governmental agencies, and private companies of both countries, providing them with opportunities of exchanging opinions and networking.

The first meeting of the Semiconductor Committee was held in April this year.

The secretary general of the committee is Chief Representative KURIHARA Toshihiko of the Representative Office in New Delhi.