India has welcomed Japan’s growing economic and technological engagement with its northeastern states, saying initiatives are under way to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the region. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a very strong partnership with Japan and that bilateral projects involving the northeastern states will be further strengthened.
The comments came as Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed to enhance connectivity in the region and signed agreements that will pave the way for more Japanese aid to Bangladesh’s Matarbari deep-sea port, which will connect with northeast India. Sources in Japan say they envisage linking the Matarbari port with northeast India to ensure optimum use of the industrial hub and the first deep-water port in Bangladesh, a reported plan that has not been independently confirmed in full.
What the partnership already covers
Jaiswal said several initiatives involving the Northeast and Japan are already in motion and that work is going on to strengthen these linkages. He added that the Japanese language was being taught to the working population in the northeastern states as part of these initiatives, and that the effort will also boost the Japan-India economic partnership within India.
Asked about reports of Japan’s interest in using northeastern India to access the Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh, Jaiswal said New Delhi had a strong partnership with Tokyo and was working to expand existing initiatives.
Why the Northeast matters to both countries
For India, the Northeast is the land bridge to Southeast Asia under its Act East Policy, connected to the rest of the country by the narrow Siliguri Corridor and sharing borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. For Japan, engagement with the region fits its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and offers a route to Bay of Bengal connectivity that does not depend on ports elsewhere in the region.
The earlier plan for a Japan-backed Northeast India to Bay of Bengal link via Matarbari port shows that the port idea predates the latest agreements, while the opening of a visa centre in Guwahati for Northeast travellers underlines how connectivity is also about people moving, not only cargo.
What comes next
The practical questions now are which projects get funded, which corridors get built, and whether language training and people-to-people links translate into jobs for northeastern youth. A partnership described in strong terms at a briefing will be judged by roads, ports, classrooms and contracts — and by whether the Northeast’s own producers and workers share in the gains.
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