India – Japan cooperation on critical minerals recycling gathers pace

The Embassy of Japan in India, in collaboration with Japan’s Environment Ministry hosted the “India-Japan Economic Security Conference on Strengthening Critical Mineral Supply Chains through Recycling.”

The recent conference brought together representatives from more than 65 companies, including companies from Japan and India, with approximately 130 participants in attendance. “It is expected that the conference will further strengthen collaboration among companies in Japan, India, and like-minded partner countries and contribute, through recycling, to addressing the shared challenge of diversifying and strengthening the resilience of critical mineral supply chains,” the official statement held.

Japan held that in recent years, ensuring the diversification and resilience of critical mineral supply chains has become an increasingly important economic security challenge. In particular, the recovery and recycling of critical minerals contained in e-waste are gaining importance as alternative sources of critical minerals.

It said that in India as well, establishing an ecosystem that promotes the recovery and recycling of critical minerals has become an urgent priority.

To address these challenges, the Embassy of Japan in India invited representatives from both the public and private sectors to participate in panel discussions on promoting critical mineral recycling. The event also featured one-on-one business matchmaking sessions among participating companies from Japan, India, and like-minded partner countries with the aim of fostering greater collaboration among industry stakeholders.

A Natural Extension of Past Efforts

In May 2026, the “QUAD Critical Minerals Initiative Framework”, issued at the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in New Delhi, affirmed the commitment of the QUAD partners (The United States, Japan, Australia, and India) to cooperate on the recovery and recycling of critical minerals. Furthermore, in July 2026, Prime Minister Takaichi and Prime Minister Modi announced that Japan and India would establish an ecosystem by facilitating the collection and recycling of e-waste to enhance the recovery of critical minerals across relevant supply chains.

Breaking Chinese Jinx

Many see Japan a key partner for India in the recycling of critical minerals, offering advanced recycling and refining technologies, investment capital and a shared strategic objective of reducing dependence on China for rare earths and other critical mineral supply chains.