India and Japan sign cooperation agreement on quantum technology, health research

New Delhi: India and Japan on Wednesday stepped up cooperation in emerging technologies and health research, with the two countries exchanging agreements in the fields of quantum science and medical devices at a high-level bilateral meeting in New Delhi.Japan’s Minister of Science and Technology Policy and Minister of Space Policy Kimi Onoda led a high-level delegation to meet Japanese Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh to discuss cooperation in cutting-edge technologies such as quantum science, artificial intelligence, health research and advanced computing.At the meeting, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) exchanged Memorandums of Cooperation (MoC) on health and medical devices. The Japanese Cabinet Office and DST also signed a letter of intent (LoI) for cooperation in quantum science and technology.India’s Ministry of Science and Technology said the contact was aimed at advancing India-Japan strategic partnership in the field of “science, technology and innovation” with “a focus on emerging and critical technologies”.Dr. Jitendra Singh said in his speech at the meeting: “India and Japan have natural synergies in science and technology. Japan brings advanced technological capabilities, while India provides a large number of human resources. We can jointly accelerate innovation in cutting-edge fields and transform research results into impactful social results.”India’s increasing focus on deep tech through national missions on “quantum technologies, cyber-physical systems, electric vehicles, clean energy and advanced computing” is creating opportunities for “joint research, co-development and industrial partnerships”, he added.The ministry said the discussions also build on the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan in August 2025, when the two countries agreed to expand cooperation under the India-Japan Science, Technology and Innovation Partnership.Speaking at the interaction, Kimi Onoda appreciated India’s “rapid economic growth and its strong commitment to innovation”, especially its “large-scale adoption of artificial intelligence across industries”.She also said her work with Indian academic institutions reflects “a strong culture of resilience among young researchers, who have the ability to learn from failure and continue to pursue innovation.”According to the ministry, Japan emphasized that the country’s strengths in “advanced manufacturing and computing technologies, including quantum and artificial intelligence” are closely linked to India’s growing technology ecosystem.The two sides also discussed cooperation under India’s national quantum mission, including in the fields of quantum computing, communications, sensing and secure communication networks. Japan has shared insights from its quantum innovation center and expressed interest in linking it with Indian institutions.Discussions also touched on researcher mobility programmes, joint innovation platforms and industry internships for Indian researchers in Japan, aimed at strengthening academic and industrial partnerships between the two countries.The ministry said the two countries agreed to deepen engagement through “collaboration between researchers, institutional partnerships and industry linkages” to further strengthen India-Japan cooperation in science, technology and innovation.