India and Japan have taken a significant step to strengthen their strategic and defence partnership, signing a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation during Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit to New Delhi.
The agreement, signed after talks between Koizumi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is designed to improve cooperation between the two countries’ maritime forces. It includes greater information sharing, closer naval coordination, joint exercises, personnel exchanges, ship visits and logistics cooperation. The two sides are also exploring possibilities for joint development and shipbuilding, potentially taking defence cooperation beyond purchases towards greater industrial collaboration.
The partnership is particularly important in the context of the Indo-Pacific, where India and Japan share an interest in maintaining freedom of navigation, regional stability and a rules-based maritime order. Both sides have also stressed cooperation under India’s MAHASAGAR vision and Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific framework.
The agreement also provides for cooperation involving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, making the partnership relevant beyond purely military operations.