India Japan Defense: India and Japan are strengthening their defense relationship through technology transfer agreements and discussions on military interoperability, a move aimed at countering China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific and ensuring a free and open regional order.
During the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani discussed a potential reciprocal supply and services agreement. If finalized, this pact would allow the two countries’ militaries to use each other’s bases for repairs and resupply, enhancing their defense cooperation. This agreement would build on existing security partnerships between the two nations.
India Japan Defense
Dr. Shubhamitra Das, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, noted that the evolving Indo-Pacific strategy, supported by the United States and its allies, has created a strong foundation for India and Japan to deepen their partnership. This strategy, covering the vast region from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, emphasizes fostering collaboration among nations to uphold international law and to act as a counterbalance to China’s rising influence.
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“India and Japan have been close since the 1952 peace treaty. Both Japan and India are institution builders, and their partnership is aimed at ensuring a free, open, prosperous, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. India and Japan share common understandings of the Indo-Pacific situation and are committed to work together to maintain the status quo throughout the region,” Das told This Week in Asia.
“It was not just to counter China but also to build a regional grouping where norms and institutions will require further cooperation among countries to uphold norms and rule of law,” Das added.
Dr. Shubhamitra Das highlighted that the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a key architect of the Indo-Pacific strategy, viewed India as a central partner in initiatives like the Confluence of Two Seas, the Democratic Security Diamond, the Quad, and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
Both Japan and India shared a commitment to an “inclusive and plural approach” aimed at countering China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea and its border disputes with neighboring countries. She also pointed out that close collaboration with the United States would further strengthen the ties between New Delhi and Tokyo.
On November 16, India took a significant step by signing its first military technology transfer agreement with Japan. The pact formalized a “memorandum of implementation” for the co-development and co-production of Unified Complex Radio Antenna (Unicorn) masts, which are designed to enhance the stealth capabilities of naval ships.
Dr. Arnab Dasgupta, a research analyst at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, noted that India and Japan have been steadily investing in deepening their relationship, especially in response to China’s increasing activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
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“In that sense, there is nothing surprising or out of the ordinary in their seeking closer defence ties as well. In fact, it should be to everyone’s satisfaction that Japan, which has hitherto been quite reticent regarding sharing sensitive technologies with foreign partners, has chosen to trust India with the Unicorn,” Dasgupta told This Week in Asia.
“India and Japan share common understandings of the Indo-Pacific situation and are committed to work together to maintain the status quo throughout the region,” Dasgupta said.
India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, emphasized the alignment between India’s Act East policy and the Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision. He highlighted their mutual support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which promotes inclusivity, cooperation, and regional stability.
While India’s Act East policy and SAGAR initiative focus on strengthening ties with Southeast Asia and ensuring maritime security, Japan’s vision underlines the importance of a rules-based order and freedom of navigation. Jaishankar noted that the India-Japan relationship has evolved significantly over the past decade, calling for ambitious targets to further enhance their cooperation.
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Dongkeun Lee, a PhD candidate at the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, explained that the proposed reciprocal supply and services pact would allow India and Japan to establish semi-overseas bases on opposite sides of the Indo-Pacific, enhancing support for each other’s naval operations.
This agreement would allow India to assist the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) in the Indian Ocean, while Japan could facilitate the Indian Navy’s presence in the Western Pacific, thus expanding the operational reach of both navies.
Lee also pointed out that the military technology transfer initiative, particularly in shipbuilding, demonstrates the efforts of both governments to invest in their defense industries and enhance their capabilities.
