Kohima, January 21 (MExN): 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 other 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.
An update received here stated that the Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 is a key outcome of a high-level delegation led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to Japan, during which engagements were held with high-ranking officials of the Government of Japan, the then Ambassador of India to Japan, and leading Japanese companies. The initiative will serve as the official flag-off of a Government-to-Government partnership between Nagaland and Japan.
The partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Kochi Prefecture, Japan, in July 2025, aimed at promoting human resource exchange, collaboration in agricultural technology and fostering future strategic partnerships.
The event builds on the State Government’s strategic focus on human capital development as a key driver of employability, economic participation and global engagement. It seeks to integrate skill development, foreign language proficiency, recruitment facilitation and cultural exchange into a single institutional platform.
At the core of 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 employment opportunities, while also strengthening bilateral ties and enabling future business and developmental collaborations with mutually beneficial partner countries. Japanese is the first foreign language introduced at the centre through its language partner, ARMS Incorporation.
The initiative has also facilitated sustained income generation and remittance inflows to Nagaland, contributing to household welfare and local economic development, the release said.
The event 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, testimonials, cultural activities, business-to-government interactions and exchange of memoranda of understanding.
Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 will provide timely opportunities for trained youth from the State to access global careers and professional growth.
The initiative is envisaged to evolve into a recurring flagship event on Nagaland’s annual calendar, strengthening international cooperation while bringing together programmes aligned to human resource development, cultural activities, research and policy, as well as developmental and business opportunities.
