New Delhi: A roundtable meeting organised to further strengthen investment and industrial cooperation between Japan and Uttar Pradesh brought together business leaders and CEOs of leading Japanese and Indian companies. Participants shared their experiences of doing business in Uttar Pradesh, current investments, expansion plans and future opportunities. Participants held detailed discussions on investment opportunities in sectors including electronics, semiconductors, auto components, electric vehicles, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, manufacturing, sustainable aviation fuel, and data centers.
Business leaders highlighted ease of doing business, infrastructure, connectivity, availability of skilled manpower and government support as key factors driving investment in Uttar Pradesh. Several investors shared plans to expand their existing investments in the state and establish new manufacturing units and R&D centres.
Business leaders expressed a positive outlook on the growing Japan-Uttar Pradesh partnership. Speakers said India and Japan share long-standing relations based on mutual trust, and growing industrial cooperation with Uttar Pradesh can further strengthen these ties through deeper economic and technological partnerships.
The meeting also highlighted that Japanese companies are looking at Uttar Pradesh not only for access to Indian domestic market but also from the perspective of global supply chains, exports and future technologies.
A representative of a company in the auto component manufacturing sector said that company has been operating in Uttar Pradesh for nearly 40 years. The group has more than 45 plants in India and overseas and employs around 9,000 people. The company plans to invest in more than 50 acres of land in Uttar Pradesh, where it will manufacture electronic and EV components through joint ventures with Japanese companies. The company also plans to develop advanced electronic products for both the Indian and export markets and said it intends to expand its R&D activities in Uttar Pradesh.
Representative placed two key suggestions before the state government. First, additional incentives and support should be provided to promote R&D and innovation in Uttar Pradesh, enabling companies to expand their technical centres and research activities. Second, greater focus should be placed on skilling and ensuring the availability of industry-ready manpower to meet industries' growing requirements.
A Japanese representative from the pharmaceutical sector highlighted the company’s nearly two-decade-long journey in India. The company has developed manufacturing and research activities in the country. Citing its established manufacturing and research capabilities, the representative said the company’s experience of operating in India has been positive and that it remains keen to expand its activities in the country.
A representative of a Japanese business group said the company has a long-standing business relationship with India and has investments and operations across multiple sectors. He said India is not merely an investment destination for Japanese companies but also offers significant long-term opportunities for business development, supply chains, exports and imports, and technology partnerships. He expressed the company’s willingness to explore new opportunities in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh.
A business leader from the Sustainable Aviation Fuel sector described SAF as a significant industrial opportunity for Uttar Pradesh. He said the sector offers potential in manufacturing, multiplier effects and exports. Identifying Japan as a potential export market, he noted that global demand for sustainable aviation fuel is rising and Uttar Pradesh can play a major role in this sector.
He suggested that state policies should include incentives that provide products manufactured in the inland regions of Uttar Pradesh with a competitive advantage over products shipped from coastal states. Such measures, he said, would encourage export-oriented manufacturing.
A Japanese representative from the automobile sector appreciated Uttar Pradesh’s large market and availability of talented human resources. He said the company is already supplying products to leading automobile manufacturers in India and is working to increase its production capacity in view of the growing Indian market. The company aims not only to supply products but also to strengthen its supply chain and manufacturing ecosystem in India, focusing on both exports and local manufacturing.
Motherson Group President Sanjay Mehta said the company was established in Uttar Pradesh in 1975 and has maintained a strong industrial relationship with the state since then. The group has now grown into a major global business with hundreds of plants across different countries. He said the group has around 175 plants in India, of which 55 are located in Uttar Pradesh and employs approximately one lakh people in the country. He also noted that the company’s global headquarters are located in Noida.
Appreciating the support extended by Noida Authority and the Uttar Pradesh government, he said the company continues to work on its expansion plans in the state.
Lohum founder Rajat Verma said the company began its journey from Greater Noida in 2018. The company currently has four plants, three pilot plants, and one R&D center in Uttar Pradesh, providing employment to around 1,000 people.
He said the company is setting up two new plants. One will focus on rare-earth-based magnet manufacturing and is being developed as a facility to manufacture magnets from both primary and recycled materials. The company is also setting up a nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode plant in India.
The two projects are expected to involve an additional investment of around ₹1,000 crore and generate approximately 1,000 new employment opportunities.
He said Japanese engineering and technical expertise could be integrated with skilling and industry training in India. He also expressed interest in developing an R&D and incubation ecosystem for advanced materials in Uttar Pradesh.
L&T Semiconductor Global CEO Sandeep Kumar said the company is already working closely with Japanese companies and that this relationship can be further strengthened in Uttar Pradesh. He said the company has an office in Noida and has long-standing technological and business ties with Japan.
He emphasized the potential to develop technology partnerships with Japanese companies in Uttar Pradesh. The company also shared plans to build a large ecosystem aimed at developing around 500 new startups over the next five years.
He stressed the need to extend this initiative to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, noting that the knowledge economy can create high-skilled, high-paying jobs at scale. He also highlighted the company’s significant role in India's data center sector and discussed opportunities to make the data center supply chain more efficient through collaboration with Japan.
A representative of another Japanese industrial group said the company has been operating in the manufacturing sector for around 75 years and has a presence across multiple continents. Company recently began operations in India and is now exploring opportunities to expand manufacturing in the country under the Make in India initiative. He indicated that India could emerge as one of the company’s key manufacturing investment destinations outside Japan.
A representative of auto component company DENSO said the company’s plant in Noida has been operational for a long time and that it has consistently received support from the Uttar Pradesh government.
He said the company has recently approved a new investment of around ₹500 crore in Noida, with construction activities already underway. The investment is expected to generate approximately 500 to 1,000 new employment opportunities.
Appreciating the state’s better governance and government support, he said confidence among Japanese companies in Uttar Pradesh has strengthened. He also highlighted the company’s efforts towards youth skilling, noting that around 400 young people have so far been connected with the company and trained from the college level.
Business leaders participating in the roundtable unanimously highlighted the importance of the government’s proactive role, better administration, industrial infrastructure and investor support in making Uttar Pradesh an attractive investment destination.
Investors said Uttar Pradesh is emerging not only as one of India’s major domestic markets but also as a global hub for manufacturing, exports and technology. They highlighted significant opportunities for Japanese companies in the state across sectors including automobiles, electronics, semiconductors, EVs, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, green energy and aviation.
