India and Japan to strengthen ties in pharma and healthcare

Bengaluru, March 1, 2022:

India and Japan will strengthen ties in pharma and healthcare and will chip in expertise and experience. Seven Japanese companies with deep-tech solutions in the fields of medicine, healthcare and drones among others are looking to further penetrate into the country.

Stating that India cannot be ignored in pharma and healthcare by companies in Japan, Takashi Suzuki, director general, JETRO (Japanese External Trade Organisation), Bengaluru said that we see this country as the best partner to scale-up and commercialize technologies.

“JETRO sees the potential for tie-ups between Indian and Japan pharma & medical equipment. The Covid phase too provided opportunities to expand to healthcare technology, he added.

Yuna Natsumi, director, Japan-India Startup Hub, JETRO Bengaluru, noted that start up creation was also a key agenda in the areas of healthcare and medical devices.

Under the Japan-India Startup Hub, established under a government agreement in 2018, Japanese startups set up offices in Bengaluru. This is because in India Japan has spotted business prospects to pursue in the areas of healthcare, software, drug delivery systems, robotic technology and medical instruments.
 
At the Japan-India DX Collaboration webinar hosted by the New Business Creation Promotion Support Project for Asia DX which is a Japan-India Industrial Cooperation Project conducted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and JETRO had product showcase and presentation from Japanese companies.

Speakers included Yusuke Kumaki, group manager, Team Platform Dept., Allm Inc who spoke on A Project between Japan and India for a mobile based telemedicine and platform business by Japan-India. Chris Raabe, CTO, ACSL addressed on the Collaboration for Safe and Secure Drones and Hirotaka Michiba, healthcare business development office, FUJIFILM Corporation talked about the Secret of Japanese Longevity.

In 2014, under the first-ever Indo-Japanese healthcare collaboration, Sakra Hospital was set up in Bengaluru. “Japan is looking at advancing mobile telemedicine to improve hospital communication, bolster regional network to improve daily operations and efficiently handle night and weekend emergencies. The agenda also includes re-establishing the patient referral protocol from surrounding areas. In 2016, Sakra World Hospital was connected to Hokkaido University, Japan to initiate medical training and education, improve the quality of surgeries here, stated Yusuke Kumaki, group manager, Team Platform Dep., Allm Inc.

The ongoing pandemic too is seen as a platform for new business opportunities which also covered access to high quality, cost-effective telemedicine among other solutions that Indian pharma and healthcare expect from Japan. Pharmabiz