New Delhi: India and Japan have discussed strengthening bilateral defence technology cooperation, expanding joint military exercises and enhancing regional security coordination, as the two sides seek to deepen their strategic partnership and contribute to stability in the Indo-Pacific. The discussions come amid a period of intensified defence engagement between the two countries.
The latest engagement builds on the Japan-India Defence Ministers’ Meeting held in New Delhi in August, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi agreed to further deepen defence cooperation, including in defence technology and industrial collaboration. The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on maritime security cooperation.
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Defence technology remains an increasingly important pillar of the relationship. India and Japan have been working towards greater cooperation in co-development and co-production, with the two countries' defence establishments also pursuing stronger R&D links between India's DRDO and Japan's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA). Their existing framework covers technology sharing, defence-industry cooperation and supply-chain resilience.
A notable example is the UNICORN mast programme, under which India and Japan are co-developing advanced antenna masts for Indian Navy warships. The project represents the first co-development of defence equipment between the two countries and provides a model for expanding technology-led industrial cooperation.
The latest discussions also come immediately after Exercise Veer Guardian-2026, which concluded at Jodhpur on September 22. The exercise marked the first deployment of Japanese fighter aircraft on Indian soil for a bilateral exercise, with Japan's F-2A fighters operating alongside Indian Rafales, Su-30MKIs and Tejas. The two countries' Air Chiefs also flew together in a Tejas during the exercise.
Beyond bilateral exercises, both sides are looking to strengthen cooperation across emerging security domains, including cybersecurity, space, artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous systems, quantum technologies and future networks. These areas have been identified within the broader India-Japan security cooperation framework as potential fields for joint R&D and industry-academia collaboration.
The defence relationship also has a strong maritime component. India and Japan have committed to improving maritime domain awareness, naval coordination and information sharing, while exploring wider cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The two countries' security framework also provides for greater interoperability, logistics cooperation and participation in each other's multilateral exercises.
For India, deeper technology cooperation with Japan offers access to Japan's advanced industrial and technological capabilities while creating opportunities for Indian defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs and research institutions. For Japan, India provides a major partner in the Indo-Pacific with growing defence manufacturing and technological capabilities.
The latest discussions therefore point towards an India-Japan defence partnership increasingly centred not only on exercises and operational cooperation, but also on technology development, industrial collaboration and emerging military capabilities—areas that could shape the next phase of their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
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