From Dialogue to Direction: Inside an Execution-First Approach to India–Japan Technology Collaboration

The India–Japan Innovation Dialogue in Tokyo underscored a simple but critical truth: the most enduring cross-border partnerships are built when policy, capital, and industry leaders engage with one another in practical terms.

At a time when global technology systems and industrial supply chains are being actively reconfigured, the dialogue created a focused forum to examine how India and Japan can shape the next phase of economic and technological cooperation together.

3one4 Capital, in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Tokyo, convened senior leaders from top Japanese corporates, financial institutions and venture capital, government, and policy for an afternoon of structured discussion. This was a working dialogue centred on identifying realistic pathways for collaboration, particularly where alignment between policy, capital, and entrepreneurship can translate into durable outcomes.

A Moment of Convergence

The afternoon opened with informal networking, allowing participants to engage openly and establish a tone of candour before formal sessions began.

Opening remarks by H.E. Ms. Nagma Mohamed Mallick, Ambassador Designate of India to Japan, framed the moment with strategic clarity. She highlighted the growing relevance of the India–Japan relationship in a changing global context, and the convergence between India’s expanding innovation capacity and Japan’s long-standing strengths in advanced industry, manufacturing, and systems excellence.

Advancing Strategic Technology Partnerships

The first core discussion focused on advancing strategic technology partnerships between India and Japan, and their implications for the future of global industry. The panel brought together operating and investing perspectives across industry, venture capital, and financial institutions.

Discussions centred on how collaborations can move beyond pilot initiatives, how industrial partnerships can scale across borders, and the role of institutional capital in enabling long-term commitment. The emphasis remained firmly on execution, accountability, and shared ownership as prerequisites for sustained success.

Kinji Saito, Chief Networking Officer at Next Bharat, Suzuki Management Company, spoke from the vantage point of industry engagement and institution building. Yosuke Yamamoto, Partner and CIO at Universal Materials Incubator, highlighted how frontier technology, materials innovation, and industrial infrastructure can be connected through patient capital and credible platforms. Katsumi Onishi, Senior Manager in Mizuho Bank’s Global Strategic Advisory Department, grounded the conversation in financing structures, advisory patterns, and the institutional requirements for long-term cross-border commitments.

Moderated by Mr. T. V. Mohandas Pai, the panel stayed close to real frictions and real playbooks, examining where India–Japan collaboration is already working, where it slows down, and what it takes to move from pilot projects to scaled operating partnerships.

India as a Startup and Innovation Nation

The keynote address by Mr. T. V. Mohandas Pai, titled India Startup Nation, offered a clear and structured view of India’s innovation trajectory. He traced the country’s evolution from a software services economy to one increasingly defined by product depth, entrepreneurial velocity, and emerging leadership in frontier technologies.

The strengths, he noted, are complementary. India brings scale, talent, and speed of iteration. Japan brings precision, industrial learning, and systems capability. He articulated why Japan is a natural long-term partner in this phase, particularly as the global economy enters an era shaped by intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and deep industrial capability.

The opportunity emerges when collaboration is treated as co-building rather than procurement, and when long-term ambition is matched by near-term operating discipline.

Shared Direction, Shared Commitment

The day concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Fukumoto Takuya, Deputy Director General for Innovation Policy at METI, who reinforced the shared opportunity ahead and the importance of sustained engagement between the two ecosystems.

A vote of thanks by Mr. Pranav Pai, Managing Partner at 3one4 Capital, formally closed the dialogue, before the room returned to extended networking and continued discussion.

We thank the Embassy of India in Tokyo for co-hosting this event, and all speakers and participants for contributing with openness and sharing candid, on-the-ground perspectives.

The India–Japan technology corridor continues to deepen through sustained strategic alignment. The dialogue reaffirmed how much becomes possible when both ecosystems choose to build with each other, rather than alongside each other.

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