The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) participated in the 4th India–Japan Forum upon invitation. The Forum was co-hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Ananta Centre, based in New Delhi*1. At the Forum, many distinguished figures from the public, private, and academic sectors of Japan and India took the stage, including SAKUMA Kazuko, Resident Executive Officer and Regional Head for Asia and Pacific of JBIC, and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India. The Forum provides a platform for leaders from the two countries to collaborate, with the aim of promoting bilateral cooperation and strengthening mutual trust through the development of a strategic partnership.
During a panel discussion on the semiconductor sector, SAKUMA explained that JBIC, as a policy-based financial institution wholly owned by the Japanese government, provides financing support for innovative projects that contribute to the development of overseas strategic resources and to the maintenance and enhancement of Japan’s industrial competitiveness. She also introduced the Japan Strategic Investment Facility, which JBIC launched in October 2025. Under the Facility, JBIC will provide financing on competitive terms, without setting an overall funding cap, over the next three and a half years. The Facility targets strategic sectors including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, steel, critical minerals, energy, automobiles, and advanced technologies such as AI and quantum. She highlighted India’s growth potential and explained that JBIC has consistently supported the overseas operations and M&A activities of Japanese semiconductor manufacturers and materials companies. She also noted that, following the 2023 amendment to the JBIC Act, JBIC expanded its support to foreign companies that strengthen Japanese supply chains for critical materials, including semiconductors. In addition, she referred to approximately USD16 billion mobilized for India over the past five years, introducing JBIC’s track record, which includes support for Nippon Steel’s acquisition of the former Essar Steel, measures to strengthen the supply chains of Maruti Suzuki and Japan-affiliated construction machinery manufacturers, and backing for the NTT Group’s data center business. Furthermore, she explained that JBIC is working together with the Indian government to support infrastructure development across industrial corridors nationwide through the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), which is owned by the Government of India (49%), JBIC (26%), and other shareholders. As part of these efforts, JBIC has been organizing site visits and business-matching opportunities for Japanese companies at the Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat, a high-tech industrial hub designated as a top development priority by the Indian government, to help build a semiconductor ecosystem. During the subsequent Q&A session, panelists and participants exchanged views on how JBIC can contribute to economic security and the strengthening of supply chains in Japan and India through the provision of competitive financing support.
As Japan’s policy-based financial institution, JBIC will continue to actively support the overseas expansion of Japanese companies and the improvement of investment environments by leveraging its relationships with governments, government agencies, and local think tanks in host countries.
Note
- *1
Ananta Centre is a New Delhi-based non-partisan think tank, operated with donations and sponsorships from private companies and others. It actively provides platforms for addressing issues of importance to the national development and security of India, such as leadership, education, international relations, and public policy.