India, Japan sign agreements in quantum technology, health research cooperation

NEW DELHI: India and Japan on Wednesday strengthened their cooperation in emerging technologies and health research, with both countries exchanging agreements in the fields of quantum science and medical devices during a high-level bilateral meeting in New Delhi.

Japan's Minister for Science and Technology Policy and Minister of State for Space Policy, ONODA Kimi, along with a high-level delegation, met Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh to discuss collaboration in frontier technologies, including quantum science, artificial intelligence, health research and advanced computing.

The meeting saw the exchange of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in health and medical devices between the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). A Letter of Intent (LoI) on cooperation in Quantum Science and Technology was also signed between Japan's Cabinet Office and DST.

The Ministry of Science and Technology said the engagement aimed at advancing the India-Japan strategic partnership in "science, technology and innovation" with a "strong focus on emerging and critical technologies."

Addressing the gathering, Dr Jitendra Singh said, "India and Japan share a natural synergy in science and technology. While Japan brings advanced technological capabilities, India offers a vast pool of talented human resources. Together, we can accelerate innovation in frontier areas and translate research into impactful societal outcomes."

He added that India's growing focus on deep-tech sectors through national missions in "Quantum Technologies, Cyber-Physical Systems, Electric Mobility, Clean Energy and Advanced Computing" is creating opportunities for "joint research, co-development and industrial partnerships."

The ministry said the discussions also built upon the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan in August 2025, where both countries had agreed to expand cooperation under the India-Japan Science, Technology and Innovation Partnership.

Speaking during the interaction, ONODA Kimi appreciated India's "rapid economic growth and its strong commitment to innovation," especially the "large-scale adoption of artificial intelligence across sectors."

She also said her engagements with Indian academic institutions reflected "a strong culture of resilience among young researchers, with the ability to learn from failure and continue pursuing innovation."

According to the ministry, the Japanese side highlighted that the country's strengths in "advanced manufacturing and computational technologies, including quantum and AI," align closely with India's growing technology ecosystem.

Both sides also discussed collaboration under India's National Quantum Mission, including areas such as quantum computing, communication, sensing and secure communication networks. Japan shared insights from its quantum innovation hubs and expressed interest in linking them with Indian institutions.

The discussions further covered researcher mobility programmes, joint innovation platforms and industry internships for Indian researchers in Japan, aimed at strengthening academic and industrial partnerships between the two countries.

The ministry said both countries agreed to deepen engagement through "researcher-to-researcher collaboration, institutional partnerships and industry linkages" to further strengthen India-Japan cooperation in science, technology and innovation.