New Delhi, July 23 -- Japan-headquartered biopharmaceutical firm Takeda established its global capability center in Bengaluru in January this year to develop digital solutions and expand its in-house capabilities.

This is Takeda's third GCC globally after Slovakia and Mexico, and its first in Asia.

Takeda joins a growing wave of APAC-headquartered companies choosing India as a strategic hub for their GCCs. While US and European firms still account for the majority of the 1,800+ GCCs in the country, APAC companies are steadily expanding their presence. According to estimates from two separate industry experts, GCCs from the Asia-Pacific region now represent approximately 10-12% of the total share. This APAC cohort includes countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Japan Leads Among APAC

GCC consulting firm ANSR's latest report, Fortune Global 500 GCCs in India Landscape 2025, found that in recent years, there has been a noticeable rise in GCCs established by companies. Japan leads the pack with 45-50% of these GCCs, followed by Australia at 20%, and some presence from South Korea, Singapore, and China.

Among Japanese companies with GCCs in India, notable names include Toyota, MUFG Bank, Rakuten, Takeda, Toyo Engineering, and MODEC. While the initial scale of these centers has been modest, there is a clear and growing intent to scale them over the medium to long term. Companies are increasingly focused on building niche capabilities at scale, a trend expected to grow over the next 3 to 5 years.

India and Japan's business synergies have grown in recent years. Bilateral trade reached $22.85 billion in 2023-24, with Japan ranking 5th in FDI inflows into India. According to Nasscom, India's vast talent pool, Japan's aging workforce, and high real estate costs in Japan are driving Japanese firms to view India as a hub for innovation and digital development.

Slow but Steady Growth

While APAC GCCs in India are still fewer compared to those from the US and Europe, their growth is steady.

He added that while US companies can quickly set up nano or micro GCCs and scale fast, APAC companies follow a different pattern. After gaining confidence in the Indian ecosystem, their growth typically follows a J-curve - slow and steady initially, but accelerating over time.

The next wave of growth for APAC companies is expected to come from mid-market and emerging growth companies. These players have the potential to significantly boost the overall share of GCCs as the market continues to expand, according to ANSR's Smitha Hemmingae.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from TechCircle.