Nagaland to host ‘Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026’ to boost investment, people-to-people ties

The Government of Nagaland, through the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Foreign Languages (CoEFL) and key institutional partners, will organise Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026, an initiative aimed at promoting investment by strengthening people-to-people ties, shared opportunities and long-term cooperation between Nagaland and Japan.

The initiative is a key outcome of a high-level delegation led by Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio to Japan, during which engagements were held with senior officials of the Government of Japan, the then Ambassador of India to Japan, and leading Japanese companies. Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 will serve as the official flag-off of a Government-to-Government partnership formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Kochi Prefecture, Japan, in July 2025. The MoU focuses on promoting human resource exchange, agricultural technology collaboration and fostering future strategic partnerships.

The event builds on the state government’s strategic emphasis on human capital development as a driver of employability, economic participation and global engagement. It seeks to integrate skill development, foreign language training, recruitment facilitation and cultural exchange into a single institutional platform.

Central to the initiative is the Centre of Excellence for Foreign Languages (CoEFL), hosted at Nagaland University. The centre was established to equip Naga youth with internationally recognised foreign language skills, cultural readiness and access to overseas employment opportunities, while also strengthening bilateral ties and future business and developmental collaborations with partner countries. Japanese is the first foreign language introduced at CoEFL, in partnership with ARMS Incorporation.

Officials said the initiative has already contributed to sustained income generation and remittance inflows to the state, supporting household welfare and local economic development.

Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 will feature sensitisation sessions on career opportunities in Japan, job interviews in sectors such as caregiving, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, and manufacturing with visiting Japanese companies, along with testimonials, cultural programmes, business-to-government (B2G) interactions and exchange of MoUs. The event is expected to create timely opportunities for trained youth from Nagaland to access global careers and professional growth.

The state government aims to develop Nagaland–Japan Connect into a recurring flagship event on Nagaland’s annual calendar, strengthening international cooperation while aligning initiatives related to human resource development, cultural exchange, research, policy engagement and business opportunities.