Cebu [Philippines]: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, Philippines, on October 28. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral defence ties and addressed shared regional security challenges.
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Singh welcomed Koizumi and recalled their previous meeting, expressing satisfaction with the progress in India-Japan relations. He stressed that the two countries, as leading Asian democracies, share a responsibility to promote peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific. Koizumi also reiterated Japan’s commitment to expanding defence cooperation with India.
The meeting built on the India-Japan defence partnership, which also included military exercises, maritime security cooperation, personnel exchanges and defence technology collaboration. During their August 2026 meeting in New Delhi, the two ministers also discussed cooperation in naval shipbuilding, ship repair, mine countermeasures and defence equipment and technology.
India and Japan maintains a Special Strategic and Global Partnership, with defence cooperation forming an important pillar of their engagement. Both countries support a free and open Indo-Pacific and seek stronger coordination to respond to evolving regional security challenges.
Singh is in Cebu to lead India’s delegation at ADMM-Plus on October 28–29. The forum bought together ASEAN member states and eight dialogue partners, including India and Japan, to discuss regional security and strengthen multilateral defence cooperation.
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