India, Japan discuss expanding skilled workforce cooperation at Tokyo Seminar

New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): India and Japan on Monday held a joint seminar in Tokyo to discuss long-term cooperation in skilled workforce mobility and human resource development, with both sides exploring ways to strengthen institutional partnerships and workforce exchange programmes.
According to the Ministry of Labour & Employment, the seminar was jointly organised by the Embassy of India in Japan and ASEAN ONE Co. Ltd. and brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academic institutions and workforce mobility stakeholders from both countries.
Delivering the keynote address, Vandana Gurnani, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, highlighted India's growing role as a trusted global workforce partner and emphasised the government's commitment towards building "transparent, ethical and scalable international labour mobility pathways".
She said India's demographic strength, skilling ecosystem and institutional reforms position the country as a reliable source of skilled manpower for global economies, including Japan.
The secretary also outlined India's workforce preparation ecosystem supported by higher education institutions, Industrial Training Institutes, apprenticeship systems, digital skilling platforms and career services.
She highlighted initiatives such as the Ministry of External Affairs' eMigrate platform, the National Career Service platform and Model Career Centres as part of India's broader labour mobility and skilling framework.
"India's demographic strength, robust skilling ecosystem and institutional reforms position the country as a reliable source of skilled manpower for global economies, including Japan," Gurnani said during the seminar.
The event was attended by several senior dignitaries from India and Japan, including Japanese lawmakers, government representatives and industry leaders. Among those present were former Japanese Justice Minister Yamashita, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ino, State Minister of Education Nakamura, Japan Bank for International Cooperation Chairman Tadashi Maeda and India's Ambassador to Japan Nagma Mohamed Mallick.
The discussions focused on strengthening Japanese language readiness, sector-specific skilling, testing infrastructure, occupational alignment and ethical recruitment practices between the two countries.
Participants identified strong cooperation potential in sectors including manufacturing, caregiving, construction, automobile maintenance, hospitality, agriculture, IT, digital services and green economy sectors.
The seminar also highlighted the Assam government's Foreign Language Initiative for Global Talent (FLIGHT), aimed at preparing candidates for international workforce opportunities, particularly for Japan-focused employment pathways.
Special messages were received from the Japanese Prime Minister, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Director of IIT Guwahati, outlining a long-term vision for stronger India-Japan personnel exchange.
The event concluded with remarks by Toshiaki Nishikawa, Chairman & CEO, ASEAN GROUP Co. Ltd., who expressed optimism about future cooperation and spoke about the possibility of developing a Japan-India personnel exchange programme involving 50,000 people over the next 10 years. (ANI)