India, Japan strengthen Indo-Pacific defence partnership with maritime pact

NEW DELHI: India and Japan on Thursday moved to significantly deepen their defence and maritime security partnership, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi signing a landmark Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation and agreeing to accelerate collaboration in naval operations, defence technology, shipbuilding and military exercises.

The agreements were reached during the Japan-India Defence Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, held against the backdrop of heightened global tensions and growing strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific. The two Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Singh and Koizumi stressed the importance of sharing assessments of the regional and international security environment and voiced strong opposition to unilateral actions that undermine freedom and safety of navigation and overflight or attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion.

A major outcome of the meeting was the signing of the Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation, providing a framework for expanded cooperation between the Indian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. The arrangement will strengthen information sharing, particularly in the field of Maritime Domain Awareness, besides enhancing cooperation in Search and Rescue and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen coordination for protecting Sea Lines of Communications through reciprocal naval visits, joint exercises, personnel and subject-matter expert exchanges, and logistical support, including access to ports and maintenance and repair facilities.

India and Japan are also looking to take their defence industrial cooperation into more advanced areas. The Ministers agreed to explore joint development in naval shipbuilding and design by combining Japan’s technological expertise with India’s production capabilities. Discussions will also be deepened on greater use of Indian production capabilities under the Make in India framework, while both sides will work towards reciprocal provision of ship repair facilities and the conclusion of a ship repair arrangement in the near future.

The two countries further agreed to maximise synergies in mine countermeasure capabilities, signalling an intent to move beyond exercises and consultations towards concrete operational and technological cooperation.

The Ministers welcomed the continued expansion of bilateral military exercises, including the Army exercise Dharma Guardian and maritime exercise JAIMEX. Particular importance was attached to Veer Guardian 26, the India-Japan Air Force exercise scheduled for this year, which will mark the first visit of Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter aircraft to India to participate in the exercise.

The two sides agreed to make bilateral exercises more complex and operationally relevant by integrating unmanned systems and pursuing exercises at short notice whenever opportunities arise. They also decided to promote exchanges between the Special Operations Forces of the two countries and pursue cooperation with India’s integrated theatre commands following their establishment.

Defence technology and equipment cooperation emerged as another key pillar of the discussions. Singh welcomed Japan’s recent review of its framework governing the transfer of defence equipment and technology and expressed expectations for deeper defence and technology cooperation between the two countries.

The Ministers described the proposed transfer of Japan’s shipborne UNICORN integrated communications antenna system as a symbolic first defence equipment transfer project between India and Japan and committed themselves to working towards its early realisation.

They also agreed to advance discussions among the respective Services on additional defence equipment and technology projects based on operational requirements. Defence research cooperation between India’s DRDO and Japan’s ATLA will also be strengthened in advanced defence technologies, while the two countries will convene a Defence Industry Forum to further facilitate industrial collaboration.

India and Japan also agreed to broaden their defence cooperation with third countries. The Ministers welcomed the first trilateral naval PASSEX involving India, Japan and Indonesia, conducted in February this year, and agreed to deepen cooperation with partner countries through high-level exchanges, exercises and other initiatives aimed at contributing to peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.

Cooperation will also expand under the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network, through which India and Japan seek to assist partner countries during natural disasters by facilitating the movement of personnel and supplies. The second tabletop exercise under the network is scheduled to be held at Japan’s Ministry of Defense in September.

The two Ministers also agreed to accelerate preparations for the Fourth Japan-India Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting (2+2) in Tokyo later this year, in line with the guidance contained in the Japan-India Joint Statement issued by the leaders of the two countries in July 2026.

To ensure coordinated implementation of the decisions taken at the ministerial level, India and Japan agreed to establish a Working Group headed at the Director-General/Joint Secretary level. The group will coordinate cooperation across operational, intelligence, equipment, technology and industrial domains, maximise synergies and accelerate implementation while respecting the sovereign choices and policies of both countries.

The visit also included significant military engagements for Koizumi. Before the bilateral meeting, the Japanese Defence Minister paid homage to India’s fallen heroes by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi and received a ceremonial Tri-Service Guard of Honour. He also visited the Western Naval Command in Mumbai and Indian Naval Ship Chennai.

The outcomes of the meeting underline the growing strategic convergence between India and Japan, with both countries seeking to translate their shared Indo-Pacific vision into practical cooperation spanning maritime security, military interoperability, defence technology, shipbuilding, logistics and industrial capabilities.