India and Japan have significantly expanded their defence and security partnership over the past decade, making it a key pillar of their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), institutional cooperation is anchored through the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue, established in 2018. Three meetings have been held so far, while regular Defence Ministerial Meetings, National Security Adviser dialogues and military staff talks continue to strengthen strategic coordination.
The MEA said that the defence partnership is underpinned by several landmark agreements, including the Memorandum of Defence Cooperation and Exchanges (2014), the Agreement on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology (2015), the Agreement on Protection of Classified Military Information (2015), the Implementing Arrangement between the Indian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (2018) and the Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services (RPSS) Agreement (2020). The RPSS has since been operationalised during exercises and bilateral deployments.
Military cooperation has steadily expanded through regular bilateral and multilateral exercises, service-to-service engagements and operational exchanges involving all three armed services. India and Japan also cooperate closely within the Quad framework on maritime security, supply chain resilience and emerging technologies.
Defence technology cooperation has entered a new phase with the co-development of UNICORN (Unified Complex Radio Antenna) masts for the Indian Navy. A Memorandum of Implementation signed in November 2024 marked the first joint defence equipment development project between the two countries.
The MEA said that during the 15th Annual Summit (2025), both governments adopted a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation aimed at further strengthening defence collaboration to address emerging regional and global security challenges.
Beyond traditional defence, India and Japan have also expanded cooperation in economic security, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cyber security, space, and supply chain resilience, reflecting the broadening scope of their strategic partnership amid evolving Indo-Pacific security dynamics.
