Why Northeast India remains central to Japan's strategic vision despite Assam missing PM's itinerary

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to visit India from July 1 to July 3, although her schedule will not include Assam despite earlier speculation that the Northeastern state could be part of the visit.

A visit to Assam would have carried symbolic significance, highlighting the growing role of Northeast India under the Centre's Act East Policy and reinforcing Japan's long-standing engagement with the region.

However, officials indicated that Assam was dropped from the itinerary due to time constraints.

The possibility of a Japanese PM visiting Guwahati also revives memories of the planned India-Japan annual summit in December 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were scheduled to meet in Assam. The summit was cancelled following protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

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Northeast at the heart of India-Japan ties

Despite Assam not featuring in the current visit, Northeast India has emerged as one of the most important pillars of the India-Japan strategic partnership.

The region fits closely into Japan's vision of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" by serving as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. Speaking at the Kizuna India-Japan Intellectual Conclave in Shillong earlier this year, Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii described Northeast India as the place where India's Act East Policy and Japan's Indo-Pacific vision come together in practice.

During the 18th India-Japan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue held in January, both countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation on connectivity and regional development through the India-Japan Act East Forum.

Growing cooperation across sectors

In the past two years, the partnership has expanded through frequent high-level exchanges and state-level cooperation.

Japanese leaders and delegations have visited Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and other northeastern states, while chief ministers from Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have travelled to Japan to explore investment, skills development and cultural partnerships.

Several agreements have been signed to train thousands of young people from the Northeast for employment in Japan. Assam signed an agreement with ASEAN One Company to train and place 20,000 youth in Japanese industries over five years under the state's CM-FLIGHT programme. Similar initiatives have also been launched in Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Educational cooperation has also strengthened. IIT Guwahati has hosted Japanese delegations for research collaboration and student exchanges, and currently has more than 10 honorary professors from Japan.

Investment and connectivity drive partnership

Economic cooperation has also gathered momentum.

Tokyo Electron and Tata Electronics have partnered to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure, including Tata's assembly and testing facility in Jagiroad, Assam. Japan has also expressed interest in developing a Japanese Industrial Township in Assam's Nagarbera to attract investments targeting both Indian and Southeast Asian markets.

At the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit in 2025, Japan participated as a partner country. The same year, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), along with private financial institutions, announced an investment of 60 billion yen for bamboo-based biofuel production in Assam.

Infrastructure remains another major area of cooperation. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is supporting road, healthcare, water supply, forestry and disaster resilience projects across the Northeast. Among its flagship projects is the under-construction Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge linking Assam and Meghalaya, while JICA-backed road projects have already completed around 600 km of roads across the region.

Beyond economics

The partnership has also expanded into cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Japan partnered with Meghalaya for the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival, while memorials in Manipur and Nagaland commemorating World War II have become symbols of shared history. Discussions on sister-city partnerships, Japanese language training and tourism continue to deepen engagement between Japan and the northeastern states.

Although Assam is absent from Prime Minister Takaichi's itinerary this time, the region remains central to India's engagement with Japan. With growing cooperation in infrastructure, connectivity, education, investment and cultural exchanges, Northeast India continues to be a key pillar of the two countries' expanding strategic partnership.