On June 23, 2025, the Asia Pacific Initiative (API) hosted a roundtable at the International House of Japan in Roppongi, Tokyo, welcoming Prof. Srabani Roy Choudhury from the Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. The event focused on the theme: “Infrastructure Connectivity and the Bay of Bengal: A Vision for Enhanced Indo-Japanese Regional Engagement.”

At the meeting, a shared understanding emerged that as the Indo-Pacific region gains increasing importance as a hub for international collaboration and strategic partnership, multi-layered connectivity, including infrastructure, is being re-evaluated as a means to support sustainable growth, geopolitical stability, and inclusive development. Specifically, the Bay of Bengal region and Northeast India were positioned as crucial focal points within these regional trends, leading to a multifaceted discussion on the potential and challenges of Japanese and Indian engagement.

In her opening remarks, Professor Choudhury emphasized the strategic importance of the Bay of Bengal and Northeast India, referring to the vision of positioning India as a hub for regional connectivity. She highlighted cross-regional initiatives such as the “Bay Initiative” and the “BIG-B Initiative,” explaining the role that enhanced physical and digital connectivity plays at multi-layered levels—economic, political, and institutional. Furthermore, she provided examples to illustrate how Japan-India cooperation, through infrastructure development and human resource exchange, can contribute not only to the defense sector but also to the formation of a transparent, resilient, and inclusive regional order.

The subsequent open discussion saw a lively exchange of opinions on a wide range of topics, including institutional cooperation between Japan and India, the potential for collaboration with third countries, and how to interpret inclusivity within FOIP (Free and Open Indo-Pacific) and its relationship with China. The discussion also touched upon the impact of development finance, trade policies, and the internal affairs of neighboring countries on connectivity initiatives, leading to a multifaceted examination of building a rules-based regional order through non-military cooperation.

This roundtable offered a valuable opportunity to reconsider the future of Japan-India cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region from the perspective of regional connectivity centered on infrastructure.