New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that India and Japan have signed an agreement for their first joint defence co-development project, describing it as a landmark step towards taking the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership to a new level. The Japanese Prime Minister arrived in New Delhi late Wednesday night for a three-day official visit.
Addressing a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said Japan has been a trusted partner in India’s development journey for decades. Welcoming Japan’s first woman Prime Minister on her maiden official visit to India, he remarked that her visit marks the beginning of a new chapter in bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Modi said the combination of Japan’s precision manufacturing and technological expertise with India’s strength in software and digital innovation would provide fresh momentum to the global advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He also announced that the two countries had signed an agreement for their first joint defence co-development project, signalling a significant expansion of strategic and defence cooperation.
Referring to Prime Minister Takaichi’s home prefecture of Nara, Modi noted its deep connection with the shared Buddhist heritage of India and Japan. He also recalled his remarks at the recent G7 Summit, stating that in an era of global uncertainty, mutual trust has become the world’s most valuable strategic asset, and that India-Japan relations stand as a strong example of such trust.
The Prime Minister said that a free, open, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific remains a shared priority for both nations. As Asia’s two largest democratic and market-oriented economies, India and Japan have launched several new initiatives aimed at promoting regional peace, stability and economic prosperity.
Highlighting the long-standing economic partnership, Modi said Japan has made significant contributions to India’s development in sectors such as automobiles, electronics and infrastructure, laying a strong foundation of friendship and confidence between the two countries.
He further announced that both sides have prepared a Joint Roadmap on Economic Security, under which cooperation will be strengthened in strategic sectors including semiconductors, quantum technologies and advanced materials. The leaders also took important decisions to deepen collaboration in the field of energy security.
Prime Minister Modi also unveiled the India-Japan Biogas Initiative, under which 1,000 biogas and organic fertiliser plants will be established across India. He said the initiative will strengthen the Central Government’s GOBAR-DHAN programme while generating new opportunities for sustainable development, rural prosperity and employment.
The announcements underscore the growing strategic, technological and economic partnership between India and Japan as both countries seek to expand cooperation across emerging sectors and address shared regional and global challenges.