Over 100 Japanese firms operate GCCs in India

Japanese enterprises are accelerating their Global Capability Centre expansion in India to support innovation-led, capability-driven growth, according to Deloitte India’s report, “India’s strategic GCC play for Japanese enterprises.”

With over 100 centres already established, Japan has emerged as the largest contributor to India’s GCC ecosystem in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. These centres are rapidly evolving into strategic hubs for engineering, digital transformation and product innovation, spanning areas such as AI, embedded systems, cloud, advanced analytics and digital manufacturing.

The report highlights a fundamental shift in the role of GCCs, from back-office support functions to multidisciplinary centres of excellence driving end-to-end product development, innovation and enterprise resilience. This shift is further reinforced by Japan’s need to address demographic challenges while accelerating digital transformation through access to India’s deep STEM talent pool.

The next phase of GCC growth is increasingly extending as cities such as Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Kochi and Indore are gaining traction. Cost competitiveness, specialised talent pools and supportive state policies areemerging as key enablers of this expansion.

Strong India–Japan bilateral momentum, including the JPY10 trillion (~US$68 billion) investment commitment, digital partnership initiatives and industrial collaboration frameworks, is further accelerating GCC expansion.

Looking ahead, the report underscores that the next phase of growth will be driven by future-ready talent strategies, deeper R&D and innovation mandates, stronger ecosystem partnerships and positioning India as both a strategic market and a long-term growth partner.

CT Bureau