In a recent bilateral meeting in Oslo, Norway, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Japan’s Vice Minister for International Affairs, Terada Yoshimichi, initiated a significant step to enhance maritime cooperation between India and Japan. The discussions concentrated on crucial areas including shipbuilding, port digitization, green port initiatives, maritime training, and the development of Smart Islands in India’s Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep regions.
Central to the talks was the potential for Japanese investments in Indian shipyards, with emphasis on collaboration with major Japanese companies such as Imabari Shipbuilding, JMUC, Kanagawa Dockyard, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Sonowal articulated India’s interests in forming joint ventures with these firms, particularly for greenfield projects, including Imabari Shipbuilding’s initiative in Andhra Pradesh. He also invited notable Japanese shipping companies, including NYK Line, MOL, and K Line, to seize investment opportunities in India’s rapidly expanding maritime sector.
Sonowal underscored the global standing of Japan’s shipbuilding and repair expertise, emphasizing that the strong bilateral ties between the two nations foster unique opportunities for collaboration. He stated, “Our growing maritime industry presents a unique opportunity for Japanese shipyards,” while highlighting that joint efforts in port digitization and green port initiatives would significantly bolster the sustainability of India’s maritime logistics network.
The meeting also focused on sustainable technologies and infrastructure resilient to disasters, particularly regarding the transformation of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep into Smart Islands. Collaborating with Japan could help integrate renewable energy, smart mobility systems, and digital infrastructure, while emphasizing ecological conservation and enhancing regional maritime security.
Vice Minister Terada expressed Japan’s eagerness to expand maritime collaboration, particularly in shipbuilding and training seafarers. With over 154,000 trained seafarers in India, there exists a considerable opportunity for structured training programs led by Japanese maritime leaders, which would in turn enhance the skills of Indian engineers and strengthen ties further.
Additionally, the discussions included India’s ambitious National Maritime Heritage Museum (NMHC) project in Lothal, Gujarat, aimed at showcasing India’s rich maritime history. Sonowal invited Japan to partner in this initiative and expressed hopes for an early Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize the cooperation. He also extended an invitation to Terada for the India Maritime Week 2025, scheduled to be held in Mumbai from October 27-31, 2025, to further explore investment and innovation opportunities in the maritime sector.
Overall, the meeting reaffirmed the deep Indo-Japanese partnership, built on shared democratic values, cultural ties, and mutual commitment to regional maritime security and economic integration through cooperative frameworks like the Quad and the India-Japan-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI). Sonowal emphasized India’s alignment with various Japan-led initiatives, including the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). He concluded with an ambitious goal, stating that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India aims for transformative growth in the maritime sector, targeting investments of five trillion yen (approximately ₹3.2 lakh crore) by 2027 for a sustainable and mutually beneficial future.
