WhatsApp Business API for Indian exporters selling into Osaka
In 大阪, an Indian supplier's first months with a Kansai trading company are a run of couriers, lab results and quotations, and each step is a message the buyer is waiting for.
For Indian exporters of textiles, jewellery and engineering goods with buyers in Osaka and the Kansai region: how a contact met at a roadshow becomes an opted-in buyer, what each step of a sample-to-order cycle sends on WhatsApp, which languages to write in, and what a +81 message costs.
See it work
One sample, from a Kansai meeting to a first order
An Indian garment exporter meets a buyer from an Osaka trading company. Follow the sample to see which step sends which kind of WhatsApp message.
The order of events matters more than the channel. A buyer who scanned your code at the meeting has started a conversation; a business card in a folder has not, and Meta's policy needs the person's opt-in before you send.
Record each opt-in in InfiQ's consent records and let your order system send the delivered and confirmed templates through the developer API, so a sample that lands in Osaka at 10:00 is confirmed before anyone in India is at a desk.
Sample-to-order, six steps
- Meeting in Osaka to Buyer writes first: nothing sent before opt-in
- Buyer writes first to Sample dispatched: service: courier number
- Sample dispatched to Lab results: utility: sample delivered
- Lab results to Quotation agreed: service: specification Q&A
- Quotation agreed to First order ships: utility: order confirmed
Hop 5 of 5
Quotation agreedFirst order shipsutility: order confirmed
Arrives at First order ships — to Osaka or Kobe.
Hop 5 of 5: Quotation agreed to First order ships — utility: order confirmed.
Market brief
Osaka and India, in official sources
From the Consulate General of India in Osaka-Kobe, the Embassy of India in Tokyo and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- 01
The Consulate General of India in Osaka-Kobe serves the residents of 16 prefectures, from Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara and Wakayama to Hiroshima and the four prefectures of Shikoku.[1]
- 02
The India-Kansai Business Forum was launched at the 15th India–Japan Annual Summit, and the consulate held its inaugural symposium on 28 July 2026.[4],[2]
- 03
In November 2025 the consulate held a seminar on manufacturing and SME collaboration with METI Kansai, the Osaka Prefectural Government, JETRO and JBIC; Indian state roadshows came to Osaka in January 2025 and December 2025.[2]
- 04
The Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry lists business cooperation agreements with the Indian Merchants' Chamber, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Indian Chamber of Commerce, the Bengal National Chamber and the Federation of Karnataka Chambers.[5]
- 05
Organic chemicals were India's largest export to Japan in 2023-24, at US$621.45 million; pearls, precious stones and jewellery were worth US$262.17 million.[3]
- 06
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai ran from 13 April to 13 October 2025.[7]
Who messages what
The Indian trades that sell into Kansai
Each has a different first message. None of them starts with a promotion.
| Sector | What it sends on WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| State delegations and chambersIndian states brought roadshows to Osaka in 2025, and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry has cooperation agreements with CII and other Indian chambers.[2],[5] |
|
| Diamonds, gems and jewelleryThe Embassy notes jewellery merchants from Gujarat and Maharashtra as a prominent community in cities such as Kobe, next door to Osaka.[4],[3] |
|
| Textiles and apparelIndia's Textiles Committee signed an agreement with Japan's Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre in 2021 to help exporters meet Japanese buyers' quality requirements.[3] |
|
| SMEs and engineering suppliersThe consulate's 2025 seminar and the state roadshows were built around Kansai's manufacturers and India's SMEs.[2] |
|
After the roadshow, the follow-up
The sample makes the case. WhatsApp is how you tell an Osaka buyer it has landed.
Delegations to Osaka come home with folders of contacts. A quick, precise follow-up gives each of them a reason to reply: a sample sent, its arrival confirmed, a question answered the same day.
Japan's everyday messenger is LINE, as the Japan guide explains, so not every Kansai buyer will want WhatsApp. Ask which app their team uses, and send WhatsApp updates only to those who say yes.
Osaka is three and a half hours ahead of India. A buyer's 09:00 is 05:30 in Surat or Hyderabad, so let the system send delivery updates as they happen and keep anything else inside the Japanese working day.
Language
The same sample update, in Japanese and English
Switch versions to see one utility template as each buyer reads it. Meta approves each language version separately.
Keep the lot number in the same place in both versions so whoever files it at the buyer's end finds it without translating.
Template language
Japanese template (ja). Example text written for this page; your own templates go through Meta’s review.
Prices in ₹ and JPY
What a message to an Osaka buyer costs
A +81 number is priced at Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific rate: ₹0.9938 for a sample or order update, ₹7.41 for marketing, ₹0.9938 for authentication and ₹0.9938 for a service reply, in rupees before GST.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ ¥1,667 JPY
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ ¥1,390 JPY
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ ¥5,003 JPY
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ ¥4,169 JPY
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to Osaka · Rest of Asia Pacific (regional rate)
| Category | ₹ INR | JPY |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹7.4057 | ¥12.4 |
| Utility | ₹0.9938 | ¥1.7 |
| Authentication | ₹0.9938 | ¥1.7 |
| Service | ₹0.9938 | ¥1.7 |
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and JPY
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | ¥9.1₹5.4352 | ¥3.8₹2.2874 | ¥3.8₹2.2874 | ¥3.8₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | ¥10.7₹6.4397 | ¥0.543₹0.3254 | ¥0.543₹0.3254 | ¥0.543₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | ¥9.2₹5.4970 | ¥0.998₹0.5981 | ¥0.998₹0.5981 | ¥0.998₹0.5981 |
| Chile | ¥13.0₹7.8162 | ¥2.9₹1.7585 | ¥2.9₹1.7585 | ¥2.9₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | ¥1.8₹1.0993 | ¥0.118₹0.0706 | ¥0.118₹0.0706 | ¥0.118₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | ¥9.4₹5.6629 | ¥0.528₹0.3167 | ¥0.528₹0.3167 | ¥0.528₹0.3167 |
| France | ¥12.6₹7.5588 | ¥4.4₹2.6393 | ¥4.4₹2.6393 | ¥4.4₹2.6393 |
| Germany | ¥20.0₹12.0088 | ¥8.1₹4.8386 | ¥8.1₹4.8386 | ¥8.1₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | ¥10.7₹6.4397 | ¥3.8₹2.2867 | ¥3.8₹2.2867 | ¥3.8₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | ¥12.6₹7.5596 | ¥5.1₹3.0700 | ¥5.1₹3.0700 | ¥5.1₹3.0700 |
| India | ¥1.6₹0.9435 | ¥0.324₹0.1941 | ¥0.234₹0.1402 | ¥0.242₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | ¥6.0₹3.6133 | ¥3.7₹2.1979 | ¥3.7₹2.1979 | ¥3.7₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | ¥5.0₹2.9992 | ¥1.2₹0.6943 | ¥1.2₹0.6943 | ¥1.2₹0.6943 |
| Israel | ¥5.2₹3.1045 | ¥0.778₹0.4662 | ¥0.778₹0.4662 | ¥0.778₹0.4662 |
| Italy | ¥11.7₹6.9847 | ¥4.4₹2.6369 | ¥4.4₹2.6369 | ¥4.4₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | ¥8.9₹5.3098 | ¥2.6₹1.5824 | ¥2.6₹1.5824 | ¥2.6₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | ¥11.6₹6.9671 | ¥6.5₹3.8671 | ¥6.5₹3.8671 | ¥6.5₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | ¥12.6₹7.5644 | ¥2.1₹1.2314 | ¥2.1₹1.2314 | ¥2.1₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | ¥5.8₹3.4877 | ¥1.2₹0.7471 | ¥1.2₹0.7471 | ¥1.2₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | ¥6.1₹3.6425 | ¥3.4₹2.0218 | ¥3.4₹2.0218 | ¥3.4₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | ¥23.4₹14.0494 | ¥7.3₹4.3987 | ¥7.3₹4.3987 | ¥7.3₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | ¥10.7₹6.4397 | ¥0.499₹0.2990 | ¥0.499₹0.2990 | ¥0.499₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | ¥7.6₹4.5421 | ¥0.984₹0.5898 | ¥0.984₹0.5898 | ¥0.984₹0.5898 |
| Oman | ¥5.0₹2.9992 | ¥3.6₹2.1709 | ¥3.6₹2.1709 | ¥3.6₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | ¥6.9₹4.1620 | ¥2.2₹1.3200 | ¥2.2₹1.3200 | ¥2.2₹1.3200 |
| Peru | ¥10.3₹6.1843 | ¥4.4₹2.6392 | ¥4.4₹2.6392 | ¥4.4₹2.6392 |
| Poland | ¥5.4₹3.2105 | ¥1.8₹1.0702 | ¥1.8₹1.0702 | ¥1.8₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | ¥5.0₹2.9992 | ¥1.8₹1.0547 | ¥1.8₹1.0547 | ¥1.8₹1.0547 |
| Romania | ¥12.6₹7.5596 | ¥4.2₹2.5436 | ¥4.2₹2.5436 | ¥4.2₹2.5436 |
| Russia | ¥11.8₹7.0520 | ¥5.9₹3.5173 | ¥5.9₹3.5173 | ¥5.9₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | ¥8.4₹5.0537 | ¥1.6₹0.9401 | ¥1.6₹0.9401 | ¥1.6₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | ¥10.7₹6.4397 | ¥2.3₹1.4072 | ¥2.3₹1.4072 | ¥2.3₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | ¥5.6₹3.3385 | ¥1.4₹0.8369 | ¥1.4₹0.8369 | ¥1.4₹0.8369 |
| Spain | ¥10.4₹6.2161 | ¥2.9₹1.7578 | ¥2.9₹1.7578 | ¥2.9₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | ¥10.7₹6.4397 | ¥0.293₹0.1759 | ¥0.293₹0.1759 | ¥0.293₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | ¥1.6₹0.9587 | ¥0.132₹0.0792 | ¥0.132₹0.0792 | ¥0.132₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | ¥12.6₹7.5596 | ¥4.4₹2.6138 | ¥4.4₹2.6138 | ¥4.4₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | ¥8.4₹5.0537 | ¥2.3₹1.3811 | ¥2.3₹1.3811 | ¥2.3₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | ¥9.3₹5.5795 | ¥3.2₹1.9346 | ¥3.2₹1.9346 | ¥3.2₹1.9346 |
| North America | ¥3.7₹2.1976 | ¥0.499₹0.2989 | ¥0.499₹0.2989 | ¥0.499₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | ¥3.3₹1.9796 | ¥0.587₹0.3516 | ¥0.587₹0.3516 | ¥0.587₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | ¥12.4₹7.4057 | ¥1.7₹0.9938 | ¥1.7₹0.9938 | ¥1.7₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | ¥12.6₹7.5596 | ¥3.1₹1.8595 | ¥3.1₹1.8595 | ¥3.1₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | ¥10.9₹6.5048 | ¥1.7₹0.9934 | ¥1.7₹0.9934 | ¥1.7₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | ¥5.8₹3.4490 | ¥1.3₹0.7998 | ¥1.3₹0.7998 | ¥1.3₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | ¥8.7₹5.2054 | ¥2.5₹1.5019 | ¥2.5₹1.5019 | ¥2.5₹1.5019 |
| Other | ¥8.9₹5.3098 | ¥1.1₹0.6769 | ¥1.1₹0.6769 | ¥1.1₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. One Japanese and one English template cost no more than one: you pay per delivered message. A delegation member reading updates on an Indian +91 number is billed at the India rate, ₹0.19 for a utility message. Invoices are in rupees.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costOn InfiQ
What an exporter uses on InfiQ for Kansai
Template manager and library
Draft, submit and track WhatsApp message templates for Meta's approval, starting from a library of 1,000+ ready templates in 27 categories.
Submit the Japanese, English and Gujarati versions of each sample and order template, and track all three through Meta's approval.
Learn moreConsent records and opt-out enforcement
Every buyer met at a forum or roadshow is opted in with a source and a time, so you can show how each number reached your list.
Developer API and webhooks
The courier's delivered event triggers the sample template while your team in India is still asleep.
Published per-market rates
The rate for a +81 message is published in rupees before you send, so a follow-up programme can be costed upfront.
Nearby
City pages near Osaka
Nearest city pages first, in Japan and beyond.
Nagoya to the east carries Japan's automotive supply chain; Tokyo is the capital's market. The Japan guide covers the APPI and the national rate.
Guides for Osaka teams
Questions Osaka businesses ask
- A buyer we met through the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry asked for a fabric sample. Which updates can go on WhatsApp?
- Once the buyer has written to you or agreed to updates there, the courier number can go as a service reply and the delivered notice as a utility template. Their questions about specifications are service replies. Keep marketing out of it until they ask to hear about new products.
- Our state delegation met buyers at an India-Kansai Business Forum event. How do we follow up without breaking Meta's rules?
- Ask each person to opt in first: a QR code at the stand that opens a chat with your number, or a written yes. A contact list from an event is not consent. Record when and how each buyer agreed, and send your first message only after that.
- Our diamond customers include Gujarati merchant families in Kobe and Osaka. Can templates be in Gujarati?
- Yes. Gujarati (gu) is on Meta's template list, so consignment and invoice templates can be approved in Gujarati, alongside Japanese and English versions. Each language is a separate template. Messages to their Japanese numbers are billed at the Japan rate, wherever the family is from.
- When does a 09:00 start on Midosuji fall in Surat, and when should our updates go?
- 09:00 in Osaka is 05:30 in Surat; Japan is three and a half hours ahead of India all year, with no daylight saving. Let delivery and order updates go when they happen, and send anything that can wait between about 05:30 and 14:00 India time, inside Osaka's working day.
- An Osaka apparel importer checks our garments against Japanese quality standards. Can test-report results go to them on WhatsApp?
- Yes, as a utility template with a document header, or as a service reply when the buyer asks. India's Textiles Committee and Japan's Nissenken centre agreed in 2021 to help exporters meet Japanese buyers' quality requirements, and a report update on WhatsApp lets the buyer see the result before the goods arrive.
- What does a sample-arrived message to a Kansai trading company in Osaka cost?
- Courier and arrival notices are utility templates: ₹0.9938 each to a +81 number before GST, whether the Japanese or the English version goes out. Questions about the sample answered within 24 hours cost ₹0.9938 per reply. Plans start at ₹999 a month.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
- [1]Consular Jurisdiction · Consulate General of India, Osaka-Kobe · read 2026-10-20
- [2]Home: news, events and commercial wing · Consulate General of India, Osaka-Kobe · read 2026-10-20
- [3]India-Japan Bilateral Commercial Relations · Consulate General of India, Osaka-Kobe · read 2026-10-20
- [4]Bilateral Brief: India–Japan · Embassy of India, Tokyo · read 2026-10-20
- [5]Overseas affiliations · Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry · read 2026-10-20
- [6]Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform · Meta for Developers · read 2026-10-20
- [7]Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan · Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition · read 2026-10-20
Follow up with Kansai buyers on the official API
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and submit your Japanese and English sample templates once Meta business verification is complete. If your business is based in Osaka, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
