India–Japan Seminar Marks New Momentum in Workforce Cooperation

A joint seminar was held in Tokyo on 25^th May to discuss workforce mobility Co-operation between India and Japan. The seminar was organised jointly by the Embassy of India in Japan and ASEAN ONE Co. Ltd., Japan. Ms. VandanaGurnani, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, delivered the keynote address.

The seminar brought together Japanese policymakers, industry leaders, academic institutions and workforce mobility stakeholders to discuss long-term cooperation in skilled workforce mobility and human resource development between India and Japan.

The event was attended by several prominent dignitaries from India and Japan, including Members of the House of Representatives of Japan such as Mr. Yamashita, former Minister of Justice; Mr. Ino, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Mr. Nakamura, State Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Mr. Tadashi Maeda, Chairman, Japan Bank for International Cooperation; Mr. Kengo Otsuka, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan; and Ms. Nagma Mohamed Mallick, Ambassador of India to Japan.

In her keynote address, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, highlighted India’s growing role as a trusted global workforce partner. She underlined the Government of India’s commitment to building transparent, ethical and scalable international labour mobility pathways. She emphasised that India’s demographic strength, robust skilling ecosystem and institutional reforms position the country as a reliable source of skilled manpower for global economies, including Japan.

She also elaborated on India’s large-scale workforce preparation ecosystem, supported by higher education institutions, Industrial Training Institutes, apprenticeship systems, digital skilling platforms and career services. She highlighted India’s international labour mobility framework, including the Ministry of External Affairs’ eMigrate platform, the National Career Service platform, Model Career Centres, and the broader skilling ecosystem involving the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, States and educational institutions.