With India and Japan holding meetings in Tokyo on investment, trade and economic cooperation, Indian exporters are seeking wider market access in Japan and fewer non-tariff barriers (NTBs) under the revised trade agreement.
Industry bodies have sought government support to address export challenges arising from stringent standards, certification requirements and relationship-based procurement practices in Japan.
Jishnu Madhavan, chairman, Japan Chapter, Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce, said Japan’s high technical and quality standards, particularly for food, pharmaceuticals and processed products, remain a major challenge. Indian food and agricultural products have come under particular scrutiny, with Japan recently suspending fresh mango imports from India for the 2026 season after inspectors found lapses in fumigation and disinfection procedures.
Market-specific certification requirements also raise costs for Indian exporters and lengthen the time taken to enter the Japanese market. Japanese buyers, meanwhile, tend to favour established suppliers, making it difficult for new Indian exporters to compete.
“Japanese buyers often value an established track record and long-term business relationships. This can make it difficult for first-time Indian exporters to enter the market, even when their products are competitive on quality and price,” Madhavan said.
China and the US have traditionally been among Japan’s largest trading partners. China accounted for nearly 24% of Japan’s total imports in 2025, according to the WTO.
The India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in 2011, eliminated tariffs on a large number of products, but the benefits have not translated into commensurate gains for Indian exporters.
According to Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general, Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME), limited recognition of Indian testing and certification, stringent sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and traceability requirements, Japanese-language documentation, complex rules of origin and relationship-based procurement networks significantly increase the cost of entering Japan.
“We ask the government to focus on this implementation gap. Priority demands should include mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) for Indian test reports and certifications; time-bound SPS and product approvals; simplified rules of origin, electronic documentation and low-value consignment procedures; and English-language regulatory information,” Bhardwaj said.
India currently has a $15.4-billion trade deficit with Japan in FY26, according to the Commerce Ministry. The deficit has nearly doubled from $8.2 billion in FY22.
Exporters expect the revised agreement to provide structured supplier-development programmes with Japanese companies, better access to procurement and distribution networks, easier movement of Indian technical professionals, and Japanese technical and financial support for MSME quality upgrading and green compliance.
“India is not seeking any dilution of Japan’s high quality and safety standards. Rather, where Indian products have been tested or certified by internationally recognised and accredited institutions to equivalent standards, unnecessary duplication of testing and certification should be eliminated,” said Vinod Kumar, president, India SME Forum.
The Indo-Japan Chamber has also proposed organising at least one India-Japan business delegation every quarter and establishing an India-Japan Export Standards and Certification Centre jointly with the Japanese government to provide training, technical guidance and certification support.
