Free and rules-based Indo-Pacific a shared priority for India and Japan: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shake hands at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on July 2, 2026. Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
A “free and rules-based Indo-Pacific” is a shared priority for India and Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday while welcoming his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi at the annual bilateral summit. Mr Modi said India and Japan would jointly develop technologies to help maintain maritime security and “regional peace”.
“India and Japan are among the world’s largest economies. A free, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific is our shared priority. Together, we will pave the way for peace, stability and progress for the entire region,” Mr Modi said.
“In the field of defence, India and Japan have entered into the first agreement to jointly develop projects. This maritime radio antenna agreement will open a new chapter in the defense technology partnership. We will now jointly develop such technologies that will help maintain peace in the region, maritime security and strengthen the rules-based order,” the Prime Minister added.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Takaichi again called for an update of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and emphasized the need for “strategic cooperation”.
For regional stability
Ms. Takaichi, who arrived in New Delhi on July 1 for her first visit to India as Prime Minister, emphasized the importance of maritime security as key to maintaining regional stability in the Indo-Pacific region. “Enhancing maritime security is particularly important for regional peace and stability,” she said, highlighting the alignment between Japan’s call for FOIP and the Indian government’s emphasis on the ocean as a “shared space” that can sustain economic growth and protect sovereignty. “In the midst of international chaos, the establishment of such a mutually complementary and cooperative relationship is increasingly important,” she said.
The Japanese prime minister said the two sides were “perfectly aligned” to pursue common goals such as FOIP. She expressed concern over the situation in the Persian Gulf region, where at least 31 Japanese vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Takaichi attended an economic forum where Indian and Japanese companies signed at least 129 memorandums of understanding on technology, investment and artificial intelligence (AI). According to a document shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Japan is on track to invest $1 trillion across states, from the Northeast region to Haryana, Odisha, Maharashtra and Gujarat, among others.
The two countries agreed to cooperate in the fields of semiconductors, critical minerals, clean energy, information and communication technologies and pharmaceuticals. Without mentioning China’s dominance in critical supply chains, the two sides also discussed the need to reduce “dependency on single country supply chains” and emphasized the need to “address the weaponization of economic dependencies through resilient supply chains.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the India-Japan Joint Economic Forum in New Delhi on July 2, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI
Interacting with the media later in the evening, Japanese officials said bilateral cooperation in defense equipment and technology was progressing through industrial agreements. They emphasized that balanced defense technologies are for “defense purposes, not warfare.”
Both sides called for the next round of India-Japan Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue 2+2 to be expedited by the end of the year to advance bilateral defense projects. The two sides also announced the deepening of bilateral defense cooperation through joint military exercises, particularly naval exercises in the Indian Ocean and the expansion of Maritime Area Awareness (MDA).
The two sides emphasized the need for cooperation in addressing energy security needs in the wake of disruptions in the Persian Gulf region and supported the idea of a “strategic oil stockpile” to meet bilateral demands. Japan is diversifying energy suppliers amid crisis in West Asia, Japanese officials said.
During official talks, they expressed concern over “China’s growing military spending and coercive activities” and supported the need to resolve Taiwan-related issues through dialogue. The Japanese delegation also highlighted concerns about North Korean military activities and called for the denuclearization of North Korea. “Japan is pursuing dialogue with China while avoiding escalation despite economic restrictions imposed on Japanese companies,” they said.
Published – 02 Jul 2026 14:25 IST