India and Japan agreed on Thursday to strengthen cooperation in defence, economic security and maritime affairs after talks in New Delhi between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi.
The two leaders announced a series of new agreements, including collaboration on naval radio antenna systems and the adoption of a joint roadmap on economic security, as both countries seek to reinforce their strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific, reports Reuters.
The agreements were unveiled during Takaichi’s three-day visit to India for the 16th annual India-Japan summit. The meeting comes as New Delhi and Tokyo deepen ties amid growing regional security challenges and expand cooperation through the Quad grouping, which also includes the United States and Australia.
Addressing reporters after the talks, Modi said the two countries had agreed to broaden cooperation in artificial intelligence, shipbuilding, biogas, semiconductors and other critical technologies alongside their defence collaboration. “India and Japan view economic security as a shared security interest,” Modi said.
Japan remains one of India’s largest foreign investors and has played a key role in financing major infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. Around 1,400 Japanese companies currently operate in India, with nearly half engaged in the manufacturing sector.
According to Indian government figures, bilateral trade reached US$27.5 billion during the 2025-26 financial year. Japanese investment in India totalled US$3.2 billion between April and December 2025.
The latest agreements build on momentum generated during Modi’s visit to Tokyo last year, when Japan pledged to more than double its investment in India to more than US$61 billion over the next decade.
India and Japan are members of the Quad, a strategic grouping that promotes cooperation on regional security, maritime issues and defence, with a focus on responding to China’s growing influence across the Indo-Pacific.
Takaichi said both governments remained committed to Japan’s vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific founded on freedom of navigation and respect for international law.
“Expansion of maritime security cooperation is especially important for regional peace and stability,” she said. The growing alignment between New Delhi and Tokyo drew a response from Beijing.
Speaking at a regular news briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticised what he described as efforts by some countries to advocate “freedom and openness” while pursuing “confrontation and division”.
He said such an approach was inconsistent with the wider region’s aspirations for peace, development and cooperation. “Asia-Pacific needs stability, not turmoil; focus on cooperation, not division,” Guo said.
