The Government of Nagaland, through the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), will organise Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026, a major initiative aimed at strengthening investment ties and long-term cooperation between Nagaland and Japan. The programme is being organised in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Foreign Languages (CoEFL) and other key institutional partners.
Officials said the initiative seeks to promote investment and economic engagement by building strong people-to-people connections, identifying shared opportunities, and creating a structured platform for long-term collaboration between the two regions.
Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 is a direct outcome of a high-level delegation visit to Japan led by Neiphiu Rio, during which extensive discussions were held with senior officials of the Japanese government, the then Ambassador of India to Japan, and representatives of leading Japanese companies. These engagements laid the foundation for deeper cooperation in areas of human resource development, skills exchange and future business partnerships.
The initiative will also mark the official launch of a Government-to-Government partnership formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Kochi Prefecture in July 2025. The MoU focuses on promoting human resource exchange, collaboration in agricultural technology, and the development of future strategic partnerships between Nagaland and Japan.
According to officials, the programme reflects the state government’s growing emphasis on human capital development as a key driver of employment, economic participation and global engagement. The initiative brings together skill development, foreign language training, recruitment support and cultural exchange within a single institutional framework.
A central pillar of the programme is the Centre of Excellence for Foreign Languages (CoEFL), hosted at Nagaland University. The centre was set up to equip Naga youth with internationally recognised foreign language skills, cultural awareness and pathways to overseas employment, while also strengthening bilateral ties and future business collaboration with partner countries.
Japanese is the first foreign language introduced at CoEFL, in partnership with ARMS Incorporation. Officials said the initiative has already helped generate steady income and remittance inflows to the state, contributing to household welfare and supporting local economic development.
Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 will include awareness sessions on career opportunities in Japan, on-the-spot job interviews in sectors such as caregiving, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, and manufacturing, conducted by visiting Japanese companies. The programme will also feature testimonials from past participants, cultural performances, business-to-government interactions, and the exchange of additional memorandums of understanding.
