New Delhi: More than 100 Japanese companies have established or expanded Global Capability Centres in India, with the centres’ focus shifting from back‑office work to strategic capabilities such as artificial intelligence (AI), engineering, digital innovation, product development, cybersecurity and advanced analytics, a report said on Wednesday.

The report from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield said the evolution reflects a broader change in Japanese global operations in which GCCs are evolving into strategic capability hubs that help Japanese enterprises accelerate digital transformation, address talent shortages and drive enterprise-wide innovation.

“This is no longer a story of outsourcing,” said Arpita Srivastava, Managing Director, APAC Tenant Representation & GCC Advisory, adding that Japanese companies are not coming to India simply to reduce costs.“They are building strategic capability centres that create business value, drive innovation and support global transformation initiatives. India offers access to highly skilled engineering and digital talent, while providing the scale, infrastructure and ecosystem needed to support long-term growth,” she added.

The report added that India’s deep STEM talent pool, estimated at 2.5 to 2.8 million graduates annually is a key draw.A mature business environment supported by world-class office infrastructure, technology clusters and a robust investment ecosystem is driving the shift.

India is emerging as a strategic innovation partner, enabling Japanese enterprises to build future-ready capabilities and accelerate technology-led growth.Japanese companies are assigning higher-value work to their India operations and integrating them more deeply into global innovation and decision-making processes as GCC mandates become more sophisticated.

Srivastava highlighted that the question for many Japanese organisations is no longer whether to establish a GCC in India, but how quickly they can scale their strategic capabilities. India offers a unique combination of talent, operational maturity and scalability that enables companies to build centres focused on innovation rather than just execution, she added.

“The next wave of GCC growth will be defined by AI, engineering excellence, innovation and co-creation, and Japanese companies are already moving decisively in that direction. This relationship is evolving into a strategic innovation partnership built on shared expertise, long-term investment and sustainable growth,” Srivastava said.