The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry held the 11th Japan-India Energy Dialogue online between Minister Muto and Indian Minister of Power Manohar Lal, aimed at further deepening energy cooperation between both countries and strengthening strategic partnership toward decarbonization. This dialogue serves as a crucial ministerial-level consultation framework based on the "Japan-India Clean Energy Partnership" concluded between the leaders in 2022, playing a central role in energy security and climate change countermeasures in the Asia-Pacific region.
The dialogue conducted comprehensive examinations of past cooperation achievements and future collaboration possibilities across four sectors: (1) electricity and energy efficiency, (2) new and renewable energy, (3) oil and natural gas, and (4) coal. Particularly significant outcomes confirmed include: utilization of Japan's advanced technologies in India's power infrastructure modernization, technology transfer and financial cooperation for renewable energy deployment expansion, diversification and stabilization of LNG procurement, and cooperation in high-efficiency and decarbonization technologies for coal-fired power generation.
From an energy security perspective, against the backdrop of international energy market instability due to the Russia-Ukraine situation, the importance of close coordination between Japan and India in energy supply source diversification, strategic reserve strengthening, and maritime transport route security was emphasized. Japan's energy-saving technologies and smart grid technologies will support sustainable energy consumption patterns in response to India's rapid economic growth-driven energy demand increase (approximately 4-5% annually).
In decarbonization technology cooperation, synergistic effects are expected from combining Japan's technological capabilities with India's market scale across sectors including solar power, wind power, hydrogen energy, energy storage systems, and power grid advancement. Particularly, as India targets net-zero achievement by 2070, Japan's high-efficiency coal-fired power technologies (USC/IGCC), CCS (carbon capture and storage) technologies, and ammonia-hydrogen co-firing technologies will accelerate greenhouse gas reduction during the transition period.
From economic cooperation perspectives, this enhances competitiveness of energy industries in both countries and promotes new business opportunity creation through Japanese corporate entry support to India, infrastructure finance expansion, human resource development and technology transfer, and R&D cooperation. Strategic approaches incorporating third-country expansion are adopted through coordination with international organizations including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), enabling integrated promotion of project finance and technical cooperation.
This Japan-India Energy Dialogue plays a crucial role in peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, international energy market stabilization, and global warming countermeasure promotion, positioned as an important diplomatic achievement symbolizing the deepening strategic partnership between Japan and India toward realizing the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).