Tokyo | August 29, 2026 | INFRAINTEL Bureau
(The Economic Times)
India is seeking deeper cooperation with Japan in steelmaking technology, technology transfer and sustainable production as it expands domestic capacity and attempts to move towards more advanced manufacturing.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held discussions in Tokyo with senior executives of Nippon Steel and JFE Steel on potential collaboration in the sector.
During a separate interaction with Japanese companies, Goyal encouraged buyers to source competitively priced, quality-compliant steel from India rather than relying primarily on Japanese supply.
He also defended India’s safeguard duty on lower-grade steel as a measure intended to protect domestic producers while permitting continued imports of higher-grade products. Global overcapacity, particularly in China, was cited as a factor behind protective measures in several countries.
India remains a net steel importer and requires investment in capacity, quality and lower-emission production. Cooperation with Japanese firms could support process efficiency and specialised grades, but outcomes will depend on the depth of technology access, intellectual-property terms, decarbonisation performance, domestic sourcing and commercial competitiveness.