India and Japan on Tuesday, 5 May held the third Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on Healthcare in New Delhi, with both nations committing to deepen bilateral cooperation across stronger healthcare systems, resilient medical supply chains, and enhanced collaboration in digital health, medical innovation, and workforce development. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda and Japan's Minister in charge of Healthcare Policy Kimi Onoda.

What the Ministers Said

Nadda underscored that the meeting reflected a shared commitment to strengthen health sector cooperation, noting that India-Japan collaboration is guided by the Memorandum of Cooperation in Healthcare and Wellness. He emphasised a common vision centred on improving accessibility, strengthening health systems, and promoting innovation for better health outcomes. Invoking India's guiding principle of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', Nadda described the JCM as a vital platform for advancing bilateral healthcare cooperation.

Onoda, for her part, reaffirmed Japan's commitment to deepening engagement through innovation, technology, and research, expressing readiness to further strengthen the bilateral partnership. Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, who welcomed the Japanese delegation, described the India-Japan partnership as one built on mutual respect, trust, and a shared vision for the future.

Supply Chain Resilience and Medical Products

One of the central agenda items was supply chain resilience. India highlighted its considerable pharmaceutical and medical devices manufacturing capabilities, along with ongoing efforts to strengthen domestic production and ensure affordable access to medical products. Japan, in turn, shared its model of public-private collaboration aimed at enhancing medical supply chains and accelerating technology deployment — a framework that Indian officials noted with interest given India's own push to reduce import dependency in critical medical inputs.

Digital Health and Non-Communicable Diseases

On digital health, India outlined the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which is building an interoperable, citizen-centric digital health ecosystem across the country. Japan shared its experience in digitalisation, AI-enabled medical technologies, and collaborative research — areas where both sides agreed to explore deeper joint initiatives.

On non-communicable diseases (NCDs), India presented its response framework built around screening, continuum of care, and health promotion aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Japan shared its ongoing cooperation initiatives, including cancer screening, early diagnosis, and capacity-building projects — areas of growing relevance as India grapples with a rising NCD burden.

Human Resource Development and Workforce Exchange

Both sides discussed human resource development, with India highlighting its skilled healthcare workforce ecosystem and existing exchange programmes. Japan outlined ongoing cooperation in joint research and personnel exchange initiatives, signalling appetite for expanded engagement. This comes amid broader global competition for healthcare talent, and with India's nursing and paramedical workforce increasingly sought after in ageing economies like Japan.

What Comes Next

The third JCM builds on the framework established in earlier rounds of bilateral health dialogue and is expected to translate into concrete project-level agreements in the months ahead. With both countries facing distinct but complementary healthcare challenges — India's scale and affordability pressures, Japan's ageing population and advanced medical technology base — the partnership holds structural promise that goes beyond diplomatic optics.