Professor C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), and Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, addressed a bipartisan gathering of members of Japan’s National Diet in Tokyo on 1 July, highlighting the role of higher education and parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening India–Japan relations.

The interaction coincided with the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to India for the India–Japan Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring ongoing efforts to deepen the two countries’ Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

The event was chaired by Fukushiro Nukaga, Speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives, and attended by members of both houses of the National Diet, senior parliamentary leaders, former ministers, government officials, diplomats, academics and industry representatives.

Professor Raj Kumar said universities play an important role in fostering international cooperation through research, innovation, academic exchange and the development of future leaders. He called for closer collaboration between Indian and Japanese universities, greater student mobility, joint research and stronger partnerships involving governments, industry and academia.

He also highlighted JGU’s engagement with Japan, noting that the university has academic partnerships with 27 Japanese institutions and nearly 200 students currently participating in study-abroad programmes across the country.

Dr. Tharoor spoke about the role of parliamentary diplomacy in sustaining bilateral ties. He said the relationship between India and Japan has been shaped by shared democratic values, cultural links and longstanding people-to-people connections, adding that future cooperation would depend on stronger engagement between students, scholars, parliamentarians, entrepreneurs and researchers.

Members of the National Diet reaffirmed their commitment to expanding parliamentary exchanges, educational partnerships, research collaboration, innovation and academic cooperation between the two countries.

The discussions focused on the role of democratic institutions, universities and people-to-people engagement in supporting long-term cooperation between India and Japan across education, research, technology and innovation.

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