Meeting at the Japanese Embassy in India: Discussion on Battery and Crucial Mineral Supply Chain
In a significant step towards enhancing resilient and inclusive supply chains, particularly in the clean energy sector, Japan and India recently held a conference titled "Conference on Battery and Critical Minerals Ecosystem" in New Delhi, India, on July 2, 2025.
Hosted by the Embassy of Japan in India, the event gathered over 200 participants, including around 70 companies from both countries and government officials. The conference aimed to facilitate a roundtable discussion for government and private sector stakeholders to promote investment and exchange information on ecosystem development.
The conference emphasized the necessity to reduce heavy reliance on specific countries for battery cells and mineral resources by fostering collaboration, investment, and information exchange between Indian and Japanese companies.
One of the key highlights of the conference was the strategic discussions on building a resilient battery-related industrial ecosystem, covering raw materials, manufacturing, recycling, critical minerals, and battery users. The event underscored the importance of securing crucial resources for clean energy and decarbonization goals through joint ventures, technology sharing, and long-term supply agreements.
Indian conglomerates such as JSW, Vedanta, and Adani are actively exploring partnerships with Japanese firms to develop battery storage capabilities and secure critical minerals including lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements. This collaboration is a natural complement to Japan's need to diversify imports for critical minerals, while India leverages its emerging mining and manufacturing industries.
The conference was part of Japan's role as the G7 president in 2023, where discussions focused on strengthening supply chains for clean energy products, including solar panels and batteries. The event was jointly organized by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
The joint Japanese-Indian initiative to diversify and strengthen the battery and critical minerals supply chain is currently progressing through strategic collaboration and active engagement between government and private sectors of both countries.
Future plans center on deepening collaboration to build resilient, inclusive, and strategically independent battery and critical mineral supply chains aligned with clean energy transitions in both countries. Japan continues to push forward with broader supply chain resilience efforts, such as the "Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement (RISE)" initiative launched in cooperation with partner countries and the World Bank. This initiative aims to empower countries like India to play a greater role in midstream refining/processing and downstream battery component manufacturing.
In conclusion, the current status is one of active engagement, with high-level events fostering government and industry cooperation, concrete talks on joint ventures, and policy incentives supporting supply chain localization and diversification. The future plans center on deepening collaboration to build resilient, inclusive, and strategically independent battery and critical mineral supply chains aligned with clean energy transitions in both countries.
- The conference highlighted the importance of collaboration between Japanese and Indian companies in the finance sector, as Indian conglomerates such as JSW, Vedanta, and Adani are actively seeking partnerships with Japanese firms to secure critical minerals and develop battery storage capabilities, facilitating long-term supply agreements and technology sharing.
- The strategic discussions during the event emphasized the need for Japan and India to work together in the technology sector, focusing on building a resilient battery-related industrial ecosystem, by developing raw materials, manufacturing, recycling, and battery user capabilities, while strengthening supply chain resilience and promoting clean energy transitions in both countries.
