During the visit of Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan to India in April 2005, the Prime Minister of the two countries directed that the India-Japan Joint Study Group(JSG) be launched by June 2005, to submit its report within a year, focusing on measures required for a comprehensive expansion of trade in goods, services, investment flows and other areas of economic relations between the two countries.

2. The JSG finalized its report and it was submitted to the two Prime Ministers at St. Petersburg on July 17, 2006. The JSG recommended that the Governments of Japan and India launch negotiations to develop an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)/Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), within a reasonable period of time.
   
   
3. During the Prime Minister's visit to Japan, a Joint Ministerial Statement on the launching of a Joint Task Force (JTF) to develop an EPA/CEPA between India and Japan was issued on 15^th December, 2006 . As per the negotiating structure annexed to the Statement, the EPA/CEPA negotiations are to be conducted at the Chief Delegate Level and the Working Level. At the Chief Delegate Level, the Indian delegation is headed by the Commerce Secretary and the Japanese delegation is headed by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. The Working-level meetings are headed by Director-General/Deputy Director General for the Japanese side and Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce from the Indian side.
   
   
4. Twelve meetings of the JTF have been held so far (four at chief delegate level and eight at the working level). In the fifth meeting of the JTF held during 8-11 January, 2008, in India both sides agreed to the modalities of negotiations on market access of Trade in goods. The 12^th meeting of the JTF was held during September 29^th – 1^st October, 2009 in Tokyo. An informal meeting between Co-chairs at working level was held on 29^th January, 2010 in New Delhi and the next round of negotiations are to be held in March 2010 on mutually convenient dates