Nagaland will host Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 to strengthen people-to-people ties, promote investment, and expand global career opportunities for youth.
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DIMAPUR — Nagaland is set to deepen its growing engagement with Japan as the state government prepares to host ‘Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026’, a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties, investment pathways and long-term cooperation through structured dialogue and collaboration.
A press release on Wednesday informed that the event will be organised by Nagaland government through the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Foreign Languages (CoEFL) and key institutional partners.
It seeks to promote investment and shared opportunities by bringing together government institutions, industry players and youth from both sides.
Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 is a key outcome of the high-level delegation led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to Japan, during which engagements were held with senior Japanese government officials, the then Indian Ambassador to Japan and leading Japanese companies, it stated.
The initiative marks the official flag-off of a government-to-government partnership formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kochi Prefecture in July 2025.
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The MoU focuses on human resource exchange, agricultural technology collaboration and future strategic partnerships.
Aligned with the state government’s focus on human capital development, the initiative integrates skill development, language training, recruitment facilitation and cultural exchange into a single institutional framework to enhance employability and global engagement.
A central pillar of the initiative is the CoEFL hosted at Nagaland University, established to equip Naga youth with internationally recognised language skills, cultural preparedness and overseas employment opportunities.
Japanese is the first foreign language introduced at the centre through its language partner, ARMS Incorporation.
The event will feature career sensitisation sessions on opportunities in Japan, job interviews in sectors such as caregiving, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, and manufacturing, along with testimonials, cultural programmes, B2G interactions and the exchange of MoUs. It is expected to provide timely global career pathways for trained youth from Nagaland.
“Nagaland–Japan Connect 2026 aims to evolve into a recurring flagship event on Nagaland’s annual calendar, strengthening international cooperation while bringing together initiatives aligned to human resource development, cultural activities, research and policy, and developmental and business opportunities,” it added.