Japan's Investment in India Exceeds Rs 1 Lakh Crore in Just 10 Months

Japanese firms have pumped over Rs 1 lakh crore into India in just 10 months, fulfilling nearly 15% of Tokyo’s 10-year, 10-trillion-yen investment pledge announced in 2025, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Goyal expressed confidence that, at the current pace, the entire Rs 7 lakh crore (10 trillion yen) commitment will be realised within three to four years, well ahead of its decade-long target. “Last time, Japan set a target of investing 5 trillion yen in India over 10 years and achieved it within five years,” Goyal noted, adding that the rapid capital deployment prompted the doubled target set in 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious goal of doubling the footprint of Japanese enterprises operating in India from 1,500 to 3,000. Goyal urged Japanese firms to expand beyond traditional sectors into manufacturing, financial services, insurance and pension funds to leverage India’s scale alongside Japanese precision engineering. Addressing the India-Japan Startup Roundtable in Tokyo, Goyal proposed establishing a Deep Tech Capital Corridor to mobilise patient capital for early-stage research, deep-tech innovation and commercialisation. Along with capital linkages, the minister also suggested a Two-Way Innovation Bridge connecting universities, incubators, R&D institutions, laboratories and testing facilities in both countries. The other proposal focused on Manufacturing and Technology Integration, combining India’s scale, engineering talent and entrepreneurial dynamism with Japan’s precision engineering, technology and manufacturing capabilities. He also stressed the need to set up Joint Startup Pitching Platforms to facilitate regular interactions among Indian founders, Japanese corporations, venture funds and strategic investors. The India–Japan Pitching Series has already connected 65 Indian startups with around 100 Japanese corporations and facilitated more than 30 business tie-ups, India’s ambassador to Japan, Nagma Mohamed Mallick, said at the event. On India’s efforts to give a boost to deep-tech startups, the minister highlighted the recently launched second Fund of Funds of around $1 billion. The first Startup Fund of $1.5 billion has catalysed investments worth $10 billion, he added. Goyal also pointed out that India has the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. Since the launch of Startup India 10 years ago, the number of startups in India has grown to 2.5 lakh from 510 earlier. Of these startups, more than 130 are unicorns.