Signing of Basic Agreement on Comprehensive Collaboration with the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)

The Japan Institute of International Affairs (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Jun Uchikawa, hereinafter "JIIA") signed a basic agreement on comprehensive collaboration (hereinafter "this MOU") with the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, hereinafter "ICRIER"), a leading economic policy think tank in India, effective June 1, 2026.

The signing ceremony was held at the ICRIER headquarters in New Delhi, India, on June 1, local time, with Kenji Hiramatsu, Chairman of the International Research Institute (hereinafter "International Research Institute"), Toshihisa Ishikawa, Director of the Research Department, and Eri Ikegami, Visiting Researcher of the India Unit of the International Research Institute, attending from JIIA.

Signing Ceremony of this MOU (June 1, 2026, ICRIER Headquarters, New Delhi) (From left) Pramod Bhasin (Director of ICRIER), Kenji Hiramatsu (Chairman of the International Research Institute)

■ Purpose of this MOU
Amid increasing geopolitical risks and heightened tensions in the Middle East, the consolidation of the Global South in international society and the deepening of cooperation between Japan and India have become more important than ever. In particular, Japan and India face numerous common challenges, including the stable procurement of strategic materials such as important minerals, energy resources, and semiconductors, cooperation in advanced technology fields such as AI, and the promotion of exchanges of advanced IT personnel.

While JIIA has collaborated and cooperated with ICRIER through exchanges of opinions on international economics in the past, this MOU was signed to further strengthen this relationship and accelerate efforts to address issues facing both Japan and India.

■ Content of Collaboration and Future Prospects

This MOU is a comprehensive framework agreed upon by ICRIER, which has extensive research achievements in India's economy and trade policies, and JIIA, which conducts research activities in various fields such as politics, economy, and society both domestically and internationally, to formalize their relationship and build a sustainable and close cooperative relationship in the future. This is an important milestone for both parties in expanding their global research and investigation bases.

In the future, both parties will utilize each other's research and investigation functions and networks, deepen strategic dialogue between Japan and India through regular information and opinion exchanges, and gradually deepen collaboration and exchange with joint research in mind. In addition, in collaboration with the "India Unit" established by the International Research Institute in April this year, we will promote the concretization of initiatives that contribute to further trust-building and sustainable economic development between Japan and India.

[About the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)]
Established in 1981, ICRIER is a leading independent economic policy think tank in India. It is highly evaluated internationally as one of Asia's leading think tanks that provides policy recommendations to the Indian government in a wide range of fields, including macroeconomics, international trade, digital economy, and climate change.
ICRIER also has a deep relationship with Japan, regularly holding joint workshops with the Ministry of Finance (Institute for Fiscal and Monetary Policy) and maintaining close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

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■ Inquiries regarding this matter
[For media representatives] Public Relations Department, Kanei, Tel: 080-3437-9449
[For general customers] International Strategy Research Institute, Email: UN_7755.group@jri.co.jp