India, Japan should deepen cooperation in EVs, green hydrogen, battery storage: Tata Chemicals MD R. Mukundan
New Delhi, July 2
India and Japan should deepen collaboration in electric mobility, battery storage, green hydrogen, carbon capture technologies and renewable energy systems to strengthen their economic partnership, said R. Mukundan, President, Confederation of Indian Industry and Managing Director & CEO, Tata Chemicals Limited.
Addressing the India-Japan Joint Economic Forum on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Mukundan said the India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership offers significant scope for expansion.
"Building on this, we deepen cooperation in electric mobility, battery storage, green hydrogen, carbon capture technologies and renewable energy systems," he said.
Mukundan suggested establishing a structured India-Japan Clean Technology Working Group under the India-Japan Business Leaders Forum (IJBLF) to take forward these ideas and projects.
He said India and Japan share a special strategic and global partnership founded on mutual trust, shared democratic values and a common vision for a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
According to him, the partnership is steadily expanding across economic, technological and strategic domains, making it one of the most enduring and forward-looking bilateral relationships.
Mukundan said meetings between the leaders of the two countries have enabled businesses to advance cooperation in priority areas such as digital transformation, critical minerals, space, energy and human resource development.
He also highlighted the opportunity to expand the India-Japan Digital Partnership 2.0 in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing.
He said India's strong IT ecosystem and talent base can complement Japan's technological leadership. Mukundan added that the industry would continue connecting innovation ecosystems, facilitating venture partnerships and supporting the adoption of Industry 5.0 and smart manufacturing solutions, particularly among MSMEs.
He also highlighted skill development as another important pillar of the partnership, supported by initiatives such as the Technical Internship Training Program (TITP) and the Specified Skill Worker Framework, and said there is strong potential to scale these efforts further through structured industry partnerships aligned with future technologies.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm from the US but have been following India's clean energy push closely. The idea of a Clean Technology Working Group between India and Japan makes a lot of sense. Both countries have complementary strengths - India's scale and Japan's R&D. If executed well, this could accelerate the global energy transition significantly.
Good to see Tata pushing this collaboration. But I hope the benefits reach the ground level - like affordable EVs for common people, not just luxury models. Also, green hydrogen is still very expensive. Japan has the tech know-how, but we need to ensure technology transfer happens at reasonable cost. Otherwise, it's just another corporate deal.
As someone who works in renewable energy, I think this is a solid move. Japan's expertise in battery storage and hydrogen is world-class. We already source some solar components from them. But we should also focus on making our own R&D stronger - not just be a market for their products. Make in India should extend to clean tech as well.
Interesting to see digital partnership 2.0 mentioned alongside clean energy. AI and quantum computing could indeed help optimize power grids and battery management. The focus on skill development is also crucial - we need trained workers for these new industries. Hope this leads to actual exchange programs for engineers and technicians.
While I support the idea, I have a small concern. Japan's strict IP protection might slow down technology sharing. Also, we shouldn't forget that China already dominates the battery supply chain. India-Japan cooperation is good, but let's not put all eggs in one basket - we need partnerships with multiple countries to secure critical minerals and
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.