India, Japan Strengthen Energy Partnership as Minister Puri Leads Tokyo Roundtable

Minister Puri underscored that India and Japan, as leading economies in the Indo-Pacific region, are uniquely positioned to shape the energy security architecture of the future.

 

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri held a high-level Roundtable with top Japanese industry leaders in Tokyo, reinforcing the growing strategic energy partnership between India and Japan. The discussions focused on identifying new avenues of collaboration across the entire energy value chain—from exploration to clean fuels—while emphasising the shared commitment of both nations to secure, sustainable, and future-ready energy systems.

A Strategic Indo-Pacific Energy Partnership

Minister Puri underscored that India and Japan, as leading economies in the Indo-Pacific region, are uniquely positioned to shape the energy security architecture of the future. He highlighted how India’s rapid economic expansion, rising energy demand, and large-scale infrastructure growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi have created one of the world’s most dynamic energy markets. When combined with Japan’s technological leadership and decades of industrial excellence, the partnership forms a natural synergy for long-term regional stability.

During the Roundtable, the Minister noted that the leaders of both countries adopted the India–Japan Joint Vision for the Next Decade during PM Modi’s visit to Japan in August 2025. Building on the significant progress toward the earlier target of JPY 5 trillion in public and private investment (2022–2026), both sides have now set an even more ambitious goal of JPY 10 trillion (~USD 68 billion) in private investment for the near future. This reflects deepening mutual trust and the strategic alignment of their clean energy and advanced technology agendas.

India’s Expanding Investment Landscape

Minister Puri highlighted that India is unlocking over USD 500 billion in investment opportunities across multiple segments of the energy ecosystem. These include:

• Exploration and production of oil and gas

• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure and terminals

• City Gas Distribution networks

• Hydrogen production and mobility

• Shipping and port infrastructure

• Biofuels and new green fuels

He emphasised India’s strong economic fundamentals—its young workforce, reform-oriented governance, and global manufacturing push through Make in India for the World—as major incentives for Japanese investors. He added that Japan’s cutting-edge technology and expertise in clean energy, precision manufacturing, and green innovation make it an ideal partner in these growth sectors.

Reforms Creating an Investor-Friendly India

A key highlight of the discussion was the government’s transformative policy actions, which include:

• 100% FDI permitted in key energy sectors

• Transparent bidding systems for exploration

• Open Acreage Licensing Policy allowing round-the-year exploration

• Ease of Doing Business reforms and digitised clearances

These initiatives have made India one of the most attractive energy investment destinations in the world. Minister Puri noted that India’s six major oil and gas Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) collectively recorded USD 315 billion in revenues in FY 2024–25, accounting for nearly 8% of the nation’s GDP. This scale, he said, underlines India's reliability as a long-term energy partner for Japan.

Natural Gas and Hydrogen: Key Pillars of Future Cooperation

India is rapidly expanding its natural gas pipeline network, LNG terminals, and city gas systems with an investment outlay of USD 72 billion. Minister Puri said this growing infrastructure offers significant potential for cooperation with Japan, especially in integrating natural gas systems with emerging energy technologies like green hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon-neutral fuels—areas where Japan holds global leadership.

He added that India’s energy transition strategy focuses on balancing energy security with sustainability, making clean fuels and innovation central to future Indo-Japanese cooperation.

A Legacy of Trust and Shared Industrial Growth

Recalling the transformative Maruti–Suzuki partnership, which reshaped India’s automotive industry, Shri Puri stated that India and Japan are once again at an inflection point—this time in the energy domain. Today’s partnership, he said, can similarly create world-class capabilities, enable high-quality skill development, and build resilient supply chains for the entire Indo-Pacific.

The Minister highlighted that both countries share a commitment to transparent markets, stable supply chains, and long-term cooperation—values essential for the global energy transition.

Invitation for Deeper Industry Engagement

In his concluding remarks, Minister Puri encouraged Japanese industry leaders to actively explore India’s energy opportunities and assured them of the Government of India’s full support. He reiterated that India is ready to work with Japanese companies to co-create solutions and deepen engagement across exploration, production, LNG, hydrogen technologies, green fuels, petrochemicals, and infrastructure.

As global energy systems undergo rapid transformation, the India–Japan partnership is emerging as a cornerstone of regional resilience, innovation, and sustainable development—paving the way for a robust and future-ready Indo-Pacific energy framework.