On July 2, 2026 (local time), President YOSHIDA Kazuhiro of Gifu University attended the Japan–India Joint Economic Forum held in Delhi, India. He was accompanied by Professor KOYAMA Hiroyuki, Executive Director of Gifu University Organization for Promotion of Glocalization (GU-GLOCAL), and Professor NISHIZU Takahisa, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences.
The Japan–India Joint Economic Forum serves as a platform for dialogue and information exchange aimed at strengthening economic cooperation between Japan and India. Government representatives and business leaders from both countries participate in the forum to promote collaboration across a wide range of fields, including manufacturing and advanced technologies. The forum was attended by Japanese Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae and H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Their speeches, along with announcements of previously concluded private-sector memoranda of understanding, were featured during the event. In her address, Prime Minister Takaichi presented the vision of “Growing Stronger and More Prosperous Together,” an evolution of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative and emphasized deeper cooperation between Japan and India as two major democracies supporting regional stability and development.
At this forum, Gifu University was the only university from Japan and India invited to participate and speak. President Yoshida joined Session 4, which focused on the development of industrial value chains in India’s North Eastern Region (NER).
During his presentation, President Yoshida highlighted more than 15 years of collaboration between Gifu University and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG). The two institutions have jointly developed international education programs in industry-relevant fields such as food engineering, mechanical engineering, and artificial intelligence. In 2019, they launched the first and only Japan–India Joint Degree Program (JDP), which has since evolved into the development of micro-credentials designed to support lifelong learning and professional reskilling. Notably, Ms. MARUYAMA Haruka of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), who served as moderator of the forum, was among the first graduates of this JDP.
President Yoshida also reported that an international symposium promoting collaboration among academia, industry, and government was held in Guwahati in March 2026, resulting in the establishment of a consortium comprising 20 universities in Northeast India. He further outlined a vision in which Gifu University and IITG serve as a bridge between Japan and Northeast India, working together with 21 universities, industry partners, and state governments to build a co-creation ecosystem aligned with “Advantage Assam 2.0,” India’s growth strategy. This ecosystem would support collaboration in sectors such as semiconductors, aerospace, renewable energy, agro-processing, and life sciences. Gifu University positions this initiative as the “Gifu University–IITG Model,” a new form of internationally collaborative, university-led regional transformation, and intends to further expand and develop these efforts.
In response to a question from Mr. TAKEUCHI Takuro, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) India Office and moderator of Session 4, who asked, “In one sentence, what change or remarkable development have you personally felt through business activities in Northeast India?” President Yoshida replied: “Deep Japan–India engagement originating from university partnerships will serve as a catalyst for even greater growth.”
As a member of the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, Gifu University actively promotes collaboration with universities and research institutions overseas, including those in India. Building on its participation and presentation at this forum, Gifu University aims to further deepen Japan–India cooperation in education, research, and human resource development, thereby contributing to both regional and global advancement.
Commemorative photograph with the leaders of Japan and India
(President Yoshida is the second person to the right of Prime Minister Takaichi.)
Photo courtesy of the Cabinet Public Affairs Office
Speakers of Session 4
(President Yoshida is on the far right.)
Photo courtesy of JETRO.
President Yoshida giving his presentation
Commemorative photograph with Ms. Maruyama of JETRO
(second from the right), who served as moderator of the forum.
