India and Japan are entering a new stage of global strategic partnership with a focus on economic and security cooperation.

The visit of Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, to India on July 1-3 was marked by numerous significant agreements on expanding cooperation in the fields of security and defense, as well as in areas such as trade, investment, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, critical materials, logistics, and others.

It should be noted that over the past few years, the leaders of the two countries have developed their relations on the basis of the concepts of “Special and Global Strategic Partnership,” “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” and within the framework of the quadrilateral security dialogue (“Quad,” including the USA, Japan, Australia, and India).

Japan and India agree on a large-scale partnership

At the same time, amid the changing geopolitical situation, the leaders of the two countries deepened their relations, highlighting areas of highly pragmatic and mutually beneficial cooperation. The goal is to make maximum use of the significant potentials available to both sides in the interests of a more effective strategy for economic growth and security.

Japan expressed its readiness to support India’s rapidly growing economy with new technologies, innovations, and investments in various infrastructure projects, including those aimed at strengthening its industrial and defense capabilities. The pragmatic Japanese, with regard to New Delhi, appear to have realized the futility of pushing the idea of expanding Quad’s activities into the military-defense sphere and actively using this grouping to contain China. Taking into account its weight and role in world affairs, Tokyo seems to view India as an important link in its Indo-Pacific strategy for ensuring its own interests and security in the region.

In this context, Japan’s calm attitude toward New Delhi’s foreign policy based on the principles of strategic autonomy is particularly telling. The Japanese are not at all bothered by the fact that India is developing cooperation with Quad members while simultaneously maintaining ties with Russia, and is also making efforts to normalize relations with China. The main thing for Tokyo is to expand cooperation with New Delhi and use its developments, experience, and resources in its own interests - which is successfully happening in practice.

Successful agreements

The 16th India-Japan Summit that has just taken place confirmed both sides’ interest in making their steadily strengthening strategic partnership more substantial. Following the negotiations, a number of agreements and other documents were signed in such areas as artificial intelligence, technology, innovation, energy, critical metals, semiconductors, and others.

The Japanese will build a large number of biogas and organic fertilizer plants, a high-speed railway line between Mumbai and Ahmedabad (the capital of Narendra Modi’s home state), and introduce modern high-speed trains. An important development was the signing of an agreement on a joint project in the field of defense technology development.

The parties agreed to hold a trade and economic forum in India by the end of the year with the participation of 150 Japanese companies. The goal is to significantly increase mutual trade turnover (currently around $30 billion) and raise the volume of investment in the Indian economy from the current $3 billion to $12 billion or possibly more.

The leaders confirmed their determination to implement the “India-Japan Joint Vision for the Next Decade,” which was discussed during Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo last year. They also agreed to hold a meeting of foreign and defense ministers in the 2+2 format by the end of the year.

For India, it was important to hear Japan’s condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, during discussions on international and regional issues. Japan cited Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks in the Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir as an example.

Overall, the results of the negotiations were impressive, especially in the economic sphere. They contributed to further rapprochement between the two sides on the basis of their special strategic and global partnership, including efforts to reduce dependence on China in critical sectors of the economy and to protect the interests of both states in the Indo-Pacific region.

Anvar Azimov, Diplomat, political scientist, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, PhD in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Eurasian Educational Institute of MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Courtesy

https://journal-neo.su/2026/07/09/new-stage-of-strategic-partnership-between-japan-and-india/