India and Japan on Thursday agreed to deepen defence and maritime security cooperation, including greater information sharing, joint exercises, logistics support and collaboration in defence shipbuilding and technology.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi. The two ministers signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation, providing a framework for enhanced cooperation between the Indian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Under the agreement, the two sides will strengthen Maritime Domain Awareness, information sharing, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. They will also promote naval ship visits, joint exercises, personnel exchanges and logistical support, including access to ports and repair facilities. The ministers opposed unilateral actions that threaten freedom of navigation and overflight and any attempt to alter the status quo through force or coercion, reaffirming their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
India and Japan also agreed to explore cooperation in mine countermeasures, naval shipbuilding and design, while leveraging Japan’s technological expertise and India’s production capabilities under the Make in India framework. Discussions will also continue on reciprocal access to ship-repair facilities.
The two sides welcomed progress in joint military exercises, including Dharma Guardian and JAIMEX, and preparations for Veer Guardian 26, the India-Japan air exercise in which Japanese fighter aircraft will participate in India for the first time.
They also agreed to strengthen cooperation between special operations forces, defence research agencies and defence industries. A Defence Industry Forum will be convened, while DRDO and Japan’s ATLA will deepen cooperation in advanced defence technologies.
The ministers further agreed to establish a working group at the Director-General/Joint Secretary level to coordinate cooperation across operational, intelligence, equipment, technology and defence industry domains.
India and Japan also decided to accelerate preparations for the fourth 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting, expected to be held in Tokyo this year. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening strategic cooperation and contributing to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
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