PDF Download 
Jhanvi Tripathi, Ed., India-Japan Partnership for Economic Security: Pathways to a Resilient Future, Observer Research Foundation, March 2026.
In the recent decade, economic security has become central to global policy discussions, shaping debates on health, climate, energy, environment, and technology. Yet, economic security goes beyond issues around trade and investment—it includes imperatives such as securing access to critical technologies, diversifying supply chains, and protecting industries from external shocks.
At the core of this discussion lies supply chain resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how concentrated and fragile global production networks had become; the geopolitical tensions and trade restrictions that followed further highlighted each country’s vulnerability to external disruptions. Among the most affected sectors were semiconductors and critical minerals—the backbone of modern industries. These challenges pushed governments to rethink their dependencies and build trusted value chains with like-minded partners.
Another pillar of cooperation is the clean energy transition. The green transition opens up new opportunities for collaboration in green hydrogen, biofuels, electric mobility, and battery storage.
Equally important is cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and biotechnology. These technologies are reshaping global competition and redefining national priorities. For both India and Japan—whose relationship is the focus of this report—the challenge is to foster innovation while ensuring secure and sustainable growth.
This shared commitment is evident in ongoing collaborations between public institutions and the private sector. However, as technology evolves faster than policy, there is a need for structured and strategic dialogue between the two sides. Coordinating efforts, aligning research priorities, and building long-term partnerships will be essential to enhancing economic resilience across the board.
In this context, Observer Research Foundation hosted the India-Japan Economic Security Conference on 10 December 2025 in New Delhi. The Track 1.5 conference brought together representatives from government, industry, think tanks, and academia from both countries, who exchanged vibrant ideas and imagined pathways for future collaboration. The chapters in this report build on the insights shared during the conference and present evidence for the utility of effective cooperation between India and Japan.
In Chapter 1, Heena Makhija and Sayantan Haldar outline the context and importance of India-Japan cooperation. Jhanvi Tripathi and Anika Chhillar then make a case for bilateral cooperation to diversify and solidify semiconductor and critical mineral supply chains and present strategies towards this goal. Gopalika Arora and Manini follow with a piece on the need to consider decarbonisation as a supply chain issue. In Chapter 4, Shravishtha Ajaykumar and Tanusha Tyagi highlight the need for common R&D and intellectual property frameworks for streamlined cooperation in emerging technologies. Mihir Sharma closes the volume with key recommendations for future policy consideration.
Read the report here.
All views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors, and do not represent the Observer Research Foundation, either in its entirety or its officials and personnel.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Jhanvi Tripathi is an Associate Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) Geoeconomics Programme. She served as the coordinator for the Think20 India secretariat during ...
Read More +
PREV
