As Japan prepares for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to India in early July, one of the strongest advocates of closer India-Japan ties believes the relationship has the potential to become one of the most important partnerships in the world.
Speaking to StratNews Global, Nupur Tewari, founder of the Tokyo-based Connect India Japan Foundation, said the growing convergence between New Delhi and Tokyo is rooted not only in economics and strategy but also in deeper cultural and civilisational connections.
Tewari’s own journey mirrors that connection. She arrived in Japan from a village in India in 2003 and says she immediately developed an affinity for a country many outsiders find difficult to understand. Over the past two decades, she has immersed herself in Japanese society, learning the language and culture through daily life and close interaction with local communities.
That experience eventually led her to establish the Connect India Japan Foundation in 2023. The initiative seeks to strengthen ties between the two countries across business, culture, education and spirituality. Earlier this month, the foundation hosted the second edition of its India Rising Conclave in Tokyo, bringing together top political leaders, business executives and policy stakeholders from both countries.
According to Tewari, Japan’s political and business leadership increasingly views India as an indispensable partner. Referring to remarks made at the conclave, she said senior Japanese leaders believe the India-Japan relationship could emerge as one of the world’s most consequential bilateral partnerships in the years ahead.
She attributes much of the current warmth in ties to the legacy of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose vision gave the relationship an emotional dimension that continues to resonate in Japan. That foundation, she argues, has enabled cooperation to expand beyond traditional economic engagement into strategic and defence collaboration.
The evolving regional security environment has further strengthened the partnership. With Japan facing growing geopolitical uncertainty in its neighbourhood and India emerging as a major economic and strategic power, both countries increasingly see value in working together. Tewari points to growing defence discussions and industrial cooperation as evidence of rising trust between the two sides.
The upcoming visit by Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to focus heavily on economic cooperation and investment. Tewari noted that the Japanese leader’s planned visit to Assam reflects Tokyo’s growing interest in India’s Northeast, a region that Japanese companies increasingly view as an attractive destination for investment and long-term partnerships.
She believes India should make full use of the opportunity.
“Japan is serious about India,” she said, pointing to the experience of Japanese companies such as Suzuki, whose long-term commitment to the Indian market was highlighted at the conclave. Japanese businesses, she argued, are looking beyond memoranda and announcements and are increasingly focused on building durable commercial partnerships in India.
The timing is significant. Next year marks 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. With high-level political engagement expected to continue and Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to visit Japan next year, Tewari sees the coming months as a critical window for deepening cooperation.
This interview was recorded days before India announced that Takaichi would be hosted in Delhi instead of Assam due to the Japanese leader’s tight parliamentary schedule.
For Tewari, the message from Tokyo is unmistakable: Japan sees India as a trusted partner, and both countries now have an opportunity to transform that goodwill into lasting economic and strategic gains.
Watch the full interview to get fascinating insights into a country set to become one of India’s closest allies.
