India, Japan to codevelop defense equipment; agree on economic, security efforts
The Associated Press
India and Japan announced agreements to deepen cooperation in defense and economic and maritime security following talks between their leaders in New Delhi in July 2026.
The nations will collaborate on naval radio antenna systems and have adopted a joint economic security framework. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also agreed to strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence, shipbuilding, biogas, semiconductors and critical technologies.
“India and Japan view economic security as a shared security interest,” he said.
The nations reached agreement on Japan’s export of Unified Complex Radio Antenna technology to India. The antennae, which have high stealth capabilities, are deployed on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Mogami-class destroyers. It is Japan’s first defense technology transfer to India, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported.
“India is a trusted partner with whom we share a strategic vision,” Takaichi said. “We will elevate our relationship to new heights.”
The nations also will hold a defense and foreign ministerial meeting in 2026.
Japan is among India’s largest foreign investors and has backed major infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail line. About 1,400 Japanese companies operate in India, nearly half of them in manufacturing.
Bilateral trade reached $27.5 billion in India’s 2025-26 fiscal year, while Japanese investment totaled $3.2 billion between April and December 2025, according to Indian government data.
Takaichi visited New Delhi for the 16th annual India-Japan summit. During Modi’s visit to Tokyo in 2025, Japan pledged to more than double its investment in India to about $61 billion over the next decade.
India and Japan, along with Australia and the United States, are members of the Quadrilateral partnership, which promotes cooperation on regional security, maritime issues and defense to counter China’s attempts to gain influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Takaichi said New Delhi and Tokyo are committed to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific based on freedom of navigation and respect for international law. “Expansion of maritime security cooperation is especially important for regional peace and stability,” she said.
