At the India-Japan Annual Summit 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba agreed to deepen human resource cooperation, setting a target of over five lakh personnel exchanges in five years, including 50,000 skilled professionals and potential talents from India to Japan.
The initiative, announced by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, aims to boost joint research and commercialisation, strengthen skill development, and expand cultural and educational exchanges, as per a release.
"Tapping economically beneficial complementarities for both Japan, facing a manpower shortage including IT personnel, and India, aiming to boost skill development and strengthen its manufacturing sector," release stated.
Key Action Plan
As part of the action plan, India and Japan will enhance the flow of high-skilled professionals. Japanese companies will undertake special missions to Indian universities in fields such as semiconductors and AI, while surveys of employment practices will be carried out to improve placement and retention of Indian professionals in Japan.
On the labour mobility front, Japan's Specified Skilled Worker and Technical Intern Training Program will be expanded to include all 16 SSW test categories in India. New test centres will be set up across Indian regions, with pre-departure Japanese language training offered under the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana. Japan will also be integrated into India's e-Migrate portal with a dedicated recruitment corridor to ensure safe and orderly hiring of certified Indian workers.
Skill development will be another area of focus. Japanese companies will provide support for vocational training under the INPACT initiative, while internship and job-matching schemes such as the newly launched “India–Japan Talent Bridge” will help connect Indian students and professionals with Japanese employers. State governments in India will work with the NSDC to facilitate training and placements.
The foreign ministries of India and Japan will oversee implementation, holding annual consultations at the Joint Secretary/Director General level. Existing dialogue mechanisms in education, skills, science and technology, and the digital economy will also be leveraged to ensure the initiative meets its five-year targets.
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