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India has welcomed Japan’s plan to expand economic and technological engagement in its northeastern region through a proposed regional industrial and connectivity network centred on Bangladesh’s Matarbari deep-sea port.
The initiative aims to connect India’s seven northeastern states, known as the Seven Sisters, with the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia through Bangladesh, potentially boosting regional trade, investment and industrial development.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Wednesday that India had a strong strategic partnership with Japan and was working to strengthen joint initiatives involving the northeastern region.
“We have a strong partnership with Japan. We also have several initiatives involving the Northeast and Japan, and work is underway to further strengthen these linkages,” Jaiswal said.
He said cooperation in economic and technological fields was part of the broader India-Japan partnership, under which the northeastern region was receiving greater attention.
Japan’s proposed plan seeks to develop an industrial value chain centred on Matarbari, improving connectivity between northeastern India and regional markets through Bangladesh.
The initiative is linked to Japan’s Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B), launched in 2014 to promote industrialisation, infrastructure development and regional connectivity.
Matarbari is being developed as a deep-sea port with Japanese financial and technical assistance.
The project is expected to strengthen Bangladesh’s maritime trade capacity and create opportunities for logistics, energy and industrial development.
For India, improved access through Bangladesh could reduce transport distances and costs for its landlocked northeastern states while facilitating trade with Southeast Asian markets.
However, the proposed regional corridor will require supporting infrastructure, cross-border transit arrangements and sustained cooperation among the countries concerned.
The latest remarks underline India’s interest in strengthening its partnership with Japan in the Northeast as regional connectivity and economic cooperation gain importance.