A decade of strategic convergence: India and Japan enter a new chapter

Sabir Nishat

(sabirnishat554@gmail.com)

As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is visiting New Delhi for the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, the meeting was expected to reaffirm a partnership that has steadily expanded in scope and significance over the past decade. More than a routine bilateral engagement, the summit comes at a time when changing geopolitical realities, economic uncertainties and rapid technological shifts are prompting both countries to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of sectors.

India and Japan today shared one of the most comprehensive strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. What began largely as an economic relationship centred on development assistance and infrastructure has evolved into a multidimensional partnership encompassing defence and maritime security, resilient supply chains, critical technologies, clean energy, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges. The summit is expected to feature economic cooperation prominently. to review progress made under the India-Japan Joint Vision for the Next Decade, adopted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo last year, while identifying new areas of cooperation.

A decade of strategic evolution

The transformation of bilateral ties has been gradual but significant. Following the elevation of relations to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014, both countries have worked to deepen engagement through regular summit meetings, ministerial dialogues and institutional mechanisms. Over the years, cooperation has extended well beyond trade and investment to include issues that increasingly define international relations, including economic security, emerging technologies and regional stability.

Strengthening the

economic partnership

Japan continues to be among India’s largest development partners and foreign investors. Japanese assistance has supported several landmark infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, metro rail systems and urban transport projects. Industrial townships developed in collaboration with Japan have attracted manufacturing investments and generated employment while contributing to India’s industrialisation efforts.

Trade between the two countries has also expanded steadily, although both governments acknowledge that there remains considerable untapped potential. Japanese companies continue to view India as an attractive long-term investment destination because of its growing domestic market, expanding manufacturing base and improving business environment. At the same time, India sees Japan as an important source of technology, capital and managerial expertise.

Economic cooperation is expected to feature prominently during the summit. Reports suggest that both sides are likely to conclude agreements covering critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, semiconductor cooperation and energy resilience. Such initiatives reflect the changing nature of the bilateral partnership, where technological collaboration is becoming as important as traditional investment flows.

Towards economic security

One of the emerging pillars of India-Japan cooperation is economic security. The disruptions witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent geopolitical conflicts exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains. Both countries have responded by working towards diversified and resilient supply chains capable of reducing excessive dependence on any single geography. Cooperation in semiconductors, electronics manufacturing and critical mineral supply chains has therefore acquired strategic significance.

Energy security is another area expected to receive considerable attention. Global volatility in energy markets has reinforced the importance of reliable and diversified energy partnerships. India and Japan are expected to strengthen cooperation in liquefied natural gas, renewable energy, green hydrogen and clean energy technologies. As both countries pursue ambitious climate goals while ensuring energy security, collaboration in these sectors has assumed greater importance.

Shared vision for the

Indo-Pacific

Beyond economics, strategic considerations have brought New Delhi and Tokyo closer than ever. Both countries have consistently emphasised the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific based on respect for international law, freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes. Although their joint statements avoid directly targeting any country, growing concerns over maritime security and changing strategic dynamics across the region have strengthened defence cooperation.

Regular bilateral military exercises, maritime engagements and defence dialogues have become important features of the relationship. The two countries also cooperate under the framework of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, alongside Australia and the United States. While the Quad is not a military alliance, it has emerged as an important platform for cooperation in areas such as maritime security, disaster response, critical technologies, health security and resilient infrastructure.

Technology as the new frontier

Technology has emerged as perhaps the most promising frontier in bilateral relations. Japan’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, robotics and precision engineering complement India’s rapidly expanding digital economy, innovation ecosystem and skilled workforce. Cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, quantum technologies and semiconductor manufacturing is expected to shape the next phase of the partnership.

Connectivity remains another enduring pillar of India-Japan cooperation. Besides flagship projects such as the high-speed rail corridor, Japan has contributed significantly to urban transport systems, freight corridors and industrial infrastructure across India. Increasingly, stakeholders view such projects not just as development initiatives but as instruments for strengthening regional economic integration and enhancing supply chain resilience.

Act East and the Northeast

India’s Act East Policy has added another important dimension to bilateral ties. Japan has supported infrastructure and connectivity projects in the country’s northeastern region, recognising its strategic location as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia. Improved connectivity between the Northeast and neighbouring countries The expectation is that improved connectivity between the Northeast and neighbouring countries will enhance regional trade, tourism, and economic development, while also strengthening broader Indo-Pacific connectivity initiatives. to regional trade, tourism and economic development while reinforcing broader Indo-Pacific connectivity initiatives.

Japan is expanding its presence

in the Northeast

Since the India-Japan Act East Forum was established in 2017, the partnership has acquired a sharper focus on Northeast India, which Tokyo increasingly views as a strategic gateway linking the Bay of Bengal with Southeast Asia. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has articulated its vision of building an ‘industrial value chain’ connecting the Bay of Bengal to the Northeast by combining connectivity infrastructure with private-sector investment in sectors such as semiconductors and clean energy.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has committed more than ¥314 billion to projects in the region. These include highway development in Meghalaya and Mizoram, the Dhubri-Phulbari bridge over the Brahmaputra, and the Rs 1,736-crore Guwahati Water Supply Project, which is expected to benefit more than 1.4 lakh households.

Official compilations indicate that Japanese investment in the Northeast had crossed Rs 23,529 crore across 20 major projects by early 2026. The figures underline Tokyo’s growing commitment to strengthening infrastructure, connectivity and economic transformation in a region that has become central to India’s Act East Policy.

Strengthening

people-to-people ties

People-to-people exchanges have also expanded steadily over the years. Academic collaborations, skill development programmes, cultural exchanges and language training initiatives have helped strengthen mutual understanding. With Japan facing demographic challenges and labour shortages, opportunities for greater mobility for skilled Indian professionals are likely to receive increasing attention in the years to come.

The summit’s significance

extends beyond the number

of agreements signed

The forthcoming summit is unlikely to be judged solely by the number of agreements signed. Its broader significance lies in reaffirming the strategic direction that India and Japan have pursued over the past decade. The relationship has evolved from one driven primarily by development cooperation to one anchored in shared interests relating to security, technology, resilient supply chains and regional stability.

At a time when the international order is becoming increasingly uncertain, India and Japan appear determined to deepen cooperation based on democratic values, economic complementarity and a shared vision for the Indo-Pacific.

The Modi-Takaichi summit is anticipated to strengthen these achievements and establish the foundation for the next phase of a partnership that has evolved into one of the most significant bilateral relationships in Asia.

As both countries navigate emerging geopolitical and economic challenges, the summit is likely to underline their commitment to building a stable, secure and prosperous regional order through sustained cooperation and strategic trust.