**Executive Summary**
The 7th India-Japan CEPA Joint Committee Meeting convened in Tokyo on March 2, 2026, to review CEPA implementation and enhance bilateral economic engagement. Discussions focused on diversifying trade, leveraging economic complementarities, and improving the business environment. The meeting also included a Trade and Investment Roadshow to promote Indian exports and attract Japanese investment.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **CEPA Implementation Review:** Both sides reviewed the implementation of the India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and explored methods for strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.
* **Bilateral Trade and Investment:** Discussions addressed a broad spectrum of issues, including bilateral trade and investment, enhancing the business environment, and the upcoming 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
* **Economic Complementarities:** The shared vision articulated by leaders was highlighted, emphasizing the need to enhance and diversify bilateral trade and investment by leveraging Japan's strengths in technology, capital, and advanced manufacturing, and India's skilled workforce, large market, and growing economy.
* **Export Potential:** Significant potential for growth in Indian exports to Japan was identified in sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and services.
* **Balanced Trade Relationship:** The importance of achieving a more balanced bilateral trade relationship for long-term sustainability was underscored.
* **Facilitative Framework:** The CEPA was noted to provide a stable framework ensuring tariff certainty and regulatory predictability, fostering collaboration in global value and supply chains.
* **Promoting Trade and Investment:** A Trade and Investment Roadshow was organized to promote trade from India and encourage greater investment flows from Japanese companies.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholders:**
* **Government of India (Ministry of Commerce & Industry)**
* **Impact:** Engaged in high-level discussions to strengthen economic ties and promote Indian exports and investment.
* **Action Required:** Continue to implement CEPA provisions, foster conducive policy environments, and organize promotional events.
* **Government of Japan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)**
* **Impact:** Participated in discussions to review CEPA implementation and explore avenues for enhanced bilateral cooperation.
* **Action Required:** Collaborate with India on CEPA implementation and initiatives to improve the business environment.
* **Indian Businesses and Exporters**
* **Impact:** Potential for increased export opportunities in sectors like textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and services to Japan. Benefit from a stable CEPA framework.
* **Action Required:** Explore and capitalize on export opportunities to Japan, leverage the CEPA framework.
* **Japanese Businesses and Investors**
* **Impact:** Potential for greater investment flows into India, facilitated by a conducive policy environment and the CEPA framework.
* **Action Required:** Consider investment opportunities in India, leveraging the improved business environment and CEPA.
* **Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)**
* **Impact:** Collaborated on a Trade and Investment Roadshow to promote trade and investment.
* **Action Required:** Continue to facilitate interactions between businesses and promote bilateral economic engagement.
Key Entities Referenced
India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): The agreement governing the economic relationship between India and Japan, the implementation and benefits of which were a primary focus of the discussions.
Department of Commerce: The Indian government department, represented by Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal, that co-chaired the meeting and is central to India's trade policy.
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI): The Japanese ministry whose Vice Minister met with the Indian delegation, indicating their key role in bilateral trade and investment discussions.
Shri Rajesh Agrawal: Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, who co-chaired the meeting and represented India in key discussions.
Tokyo: The location where the 7th India-Japan CEPA Joint Committee Meeting was held, making it central to the event's scope.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
7th India–Japan CEPA Joint Committee Meeting
Held in Tokyo; Secretary, Department of
Commerce Shri Rajesh Agrawal Co-Chairs
Discussions
Shri Rajesh Agrawal Calls for Diversified and Balanced India–
Japan Trade; Highlights CEPA’s Full Potential and Export
Opportunities
Posted On: 04 MAR 2026 5:53PM by PIB Delhi
The 7th Joint Committee Meeting under the India–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA) was held on 2 March 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting was co-chaired by
Secretary, Department of Commerce, Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Government of India, and the Senior
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Japan.
Both sides reviewed issues relating to the implementation of the CEPA and deliberated on ways to further
strengthen bilateral economic engagement.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Shri Agrawal, met the Vice
Minister of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Discussions covered a wide range of
issues, including bilateral trade and investment, improving the business environment, and the upcoming
14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
During the meeting with the METI Vice Minister, Shri Agrawal highlighted the shared vision articulated
by the leaders of both countries during the Annual Summit in August 2025 and underscored the need to
enhance and diversify bilateral trade and investment. He emphasized the strong complementarities
between the two economies—Japan’s strengths in technology, capital, and advanced manufacturing, and
India’s skilled workforce, large market, and rapidly growing economy. He stressed the importance of
harnessing the full benefits of the CEPA, including the movement of natural persons as envisaged during
the Leaders’ Summit.
Shri Agrawal noted the significant potential for growth in Indian exports to Japan in sectors such as
textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and services. He also underlined the importance of achieving a more
balanced bilateral trade relationship to ensure long-term sustainability.
The Commerce Secretary further engaged with leading representatives of Japanese industry during a
roundtable interaction. In the evening, a Trade and Investment Roadshow was organized by the Embassy
of India in Japan in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Keidanren, focusing
on promoting trade from India and facilitating greater investment flows from Japanese companies.Shri Agrawal apprised participants of India’s conducive policy environment for trade and investment,
including ongoing measures to improve ease of doing business and simplified regulatory processes. He
emphasized that the CEPA provides a stable framework ensuring tariff certainty and regulatory
predictability, thereby fostering a facilitative environment for deeper collaboration between India and
Japan as trusted partners in global value and supply chains.
(Commerce Secretary with Sr. Deputy Minister, MoFA, Japan)
(Commerce Secretary with CII delegation at Roadshow)(Commerce Secretary with Dr. Yamada of Nikkie Asia in Fireside Chat during Roadshow)
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Abhishek Dayal/ Shabbir Azad/ Ishita Biswas
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