Defence Minister Rajnath Singh together with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi throughout the India-Japan Defence Ministers’ assembly, on August 20, 2026, in New Delhi. Credit score: X/@SpokespersonMoD
As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi held bilateral talks, India and Japan on Thursday (August 20, 2026) signed a Memorandum of Association (MoA) on Maritime Safety Cooperation and agreed to deepen operational cooperation — together with data sharing, naval workout routines, ship restore and logistics help.
In response to the Defence Ministry, the 2 Ministers, of their talks in New Delhi, reaffirmed their dedication to additional deepen defence cooperation beneath the “Japan-India Particular Strategic and World Partnership” and work in direction of a free and open Indo-Pacific amid heightened world tensions.
The 2 sides expressed robust opposition to unilateral actions that impede freedom and security of navigation and overflight, and to makes an attempt to alter the established order by pressure or coercion.
The newly signed maritime safety association gives a framework for nearer cooperation between the Japan Maritime Self-Protection Power and the Indian Navy, together with Maritime Area Consciousness (MDA), search and rescue, and humanitarian help and catastrophe reduction.
The Ministers additionally agreed to strengthen coordination for the safety of Sea Traces of Communications by reciprocal naval visits, joint workout routines, personnel and subject material professional exchanges, and logistical help, together with entry to ports and upkeep and restore services.
India and Japan will even transfer in direction of better cooperation in mine countermeasures and discover the potential for joint growth in naval shipbuilding and design by leveraging Japan’s technological experience and India’s manufacturing capabilities. The 2 sides will even talk about better use of India’s shipbuilding capabilities beneath the “Make in India” framework and work in direction of reciprocal provision of ship restore services.
The Ministers welcomed the enlargement of bilateral army workout routines, together with Dharma Guardian and JAIMEX, and the deliberate Veer Guardian 26 air train. Japanese fighter plane will take part within the train in India for the primary time. The 2 sides additionally agreed to reinforce the complexity of bilateral workout routines, combine unmanned methods and discover short-notice joint workout routines.
The 2 nations will promote exchanges between their Particular Operations Forces and pursue cooperation with India’s built-in theatre instructions after their institution.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed Japan’s current evaluation of its defence gear and expertise switch framework, searching for deeper defence and expertise cooperation. The 2 sides recognized the shipborne UNICORN built-in communications antenna system as a logo of their rising defence gear partnership and dedicated to its early realisation.
India’s DRDO and Japan’s ATLA will deepen cooperation in superior defence applied sciences, whereas a Defence Business Discussion board will even be convened.
The Ministers additional agreed to determine a Working Group, headed on the Director-Normal/Joint Secretary stage, to coordinate cooperation throughout operational, intelligence, gear, expertise and industrial domains.
In addition they agreed to speed up discussions for the fourth India-Japan “2+2” Overseas and Defence Ministerial Dialogue, to be held in Tokyo this 12 months.
Printed – August 20, 2026 02:18 pm IST
