A panel of industry leaders was, on May 22, unanimous in its projection of India as the global manufacturing and growth hub while emphasising on the collaboration Japan could bring in to accomplish the goal.

Speaking at the India Today Indo-Japan Conclave in New Delhi, the corporate moguls listed the recent Donald Trump administration-effected tariffs and West Asia turmoil among factors that should compel India and Japan to reassess their domain strengths and synergise capabilities for a successful partnership of 20 years and beyond.

Opening the session ‘Infrastructure: Can India be Japan’s Global Production Hub?’, Bharat Kaushal, Executive Chairman, Hitachi India, underlined that Japanese firms are trustworthy “and there can be no question about the formidability of their technology”.

“There is no better time than now to take the Japan-India economic engagement to the next level. There is so much of geostrategic tentativeness—tariffs and then the war situation, crude oil prices going over $100 a barrel,” he noted.

Kaushal opined that two aspects have changed revolutionarily in the past decade or so in the country—implementation and quality. There is appreciation now for quality, in a shift from the premise that the lowest bidder should win. “The consideration is not the low-cost provider, and that’s where Japan finds entry,” said Kaushal.

The Hitachi India head noted AI as becoming the new scale of consumption. “The progressive disruption unleashed by AI, perhaps bigger than the advent of the internet or even splitting of the atom, is taking the world from a rule-based environment to a non-rule-based environment,” said Kaushal.

Syed Faisal Ashraf, Managing Director, Mitsui & Co. India, stressed that “2026 is a great year for India and Japan to look back on the last 20 years in order to visualise what can be done over the next 20 years and collaborate”.

One of the vital aspects of a successful partnership, Ashraf stated, is consistency of government policy. He pointed out how the entire underlying apparatus of the Digi Yatra facility at some Indian airports is Japanese.

Asked how India and Japan can collaborate in infrastructure development, Yoshiyuki Kato, Managing Director, Panasonic Life Solutions India Private Limited, said the focus should be on integrating technology with infrastructure.

Appreciating India’s speed in digital technology, Kato said Japan’s quality management offers a synergetic combination, allowing India to become Japan’s manufacturing gateway to the world.

Kanwal Jeet Jawa, Chairman and Managing Director, Daikin Airconditioning India, sought to compare India’s standing as an economic partner in Japan during the previous Manmohan Singh and current Narendra Modi government. “India’s time has come,” Jeet declared.

Jawa stated that Japan cannot have any other market as big and an opportunity like India. “In the automobile industry, we have shown that we can become the global hub. Take Suzuki—70 per cent of their global profits come from India. What better example can there be?”

“Who can compete with this? India offers scale, speed in deciding and doing, and stability. And with the several labour policy reforms recently, India has the potential to become a global manufacturing hub; it is already a strategic manufacturing hub for Japan,” said Jawa.

EXPERT-SPEAK

Bharat Kaushal, Executive Chairman, Hitachi India

* “Japanese are trustworthy, and no question about the formidability of their technology.”

* “No better time than now to take the Japan-India economic engagement to the next level.”

* “There is appreciation now for quality, not the premise that the lowest bidder should win.”

Syed Faisal Ashraf, Managing Director, Mitsui & Co. India

* “US tariffs and now the West Asia conflict make us take stock of what’s happening, and it’s a great moment to look at how India and Japan can collaborate for the next 20 years.”

* “Consistency of government policy is very important in industrial and economic cooperation and development.”

* “We need to couple Indian short-term mentality with Japanese long-term mindset, for beneficial results.”

Yoshiyuki Kato, Managing Director, Panasonic Life Solutions India Private Limited

* “Focus should be on integrating technology with infrastructure.”

* “India’s speed in digital technology and Japan’s quality management are a synergetic combination.”

Kanwal Jeet Jawa, Chairman and Managing Director, Daikin Airconditioning India

* “We were daring to dream big but now it is our time.”

* “Don’t think Japan has any other market as big and opportunity as India.”

* “India offers scale, speed in deciding and doing, and stability. Recent policy reforms are helping India become global manufacturing hub.”

Subscribe to India Today Magazine

Source: India Today