Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poses during a photo session at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Tokyo on October 21, 2025 | Photo credit: AP
India-Japan ties are “vital” for regional and global peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he congratulated newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday (Oct 21, 2025). Officials said the two leaders are expected to speak by phone in the next few days and are likely to meet as early as this weekend, on the sidelines of the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Summit (EAS).
Mr Modi is expected to travel to the summits, although the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not yet made any announcement. Ms Takaichi, 64, was elected by Japan’s parliament, or lower house, to become Japan’s first female prime minister, weeks after winning the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
In a message on social media, Mr Modi said he looked forward to working closely with Ms Takaichi to further strengthen the India-Japan “special strategic and global partnership”.
“Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Mr. Modi added.
The change in government in Japan comes just weeks after Mr. Modi visited Tokyo to hold the 15th India-Japan Summit on August 29 with then Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The two sides have signed a number of agreements, including the Partnership for Economic Security, including cooperation on building critical mineral industry capacity, and the modernized Strategic Partnership. Experts say Ms Takaichi is expected to continue the upward trend in India-Japan ties and strengthen them further.
Ms Takaichi is also known for her “hawkish” stance on China and a more militaristic foreign policy and can be expected to seek closer strategic cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners.
“Ms Takaichi is a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose tenure (2012-2020) is considered the golden period of India-Japan ties,” former ambassador to Japan Deepa Wadhwa told The Hindu. “As a result, he will likely continue to focus on the Indo-Pacific like Mr. Abe, and we can expect him to be more active in Quad engagement as well,” Ms. Wadhwa added, referring to Mr. Abe’s initiation of the US-India-Australia-Japan grouping that earned him the name “Quadfather.”
In particular, all eyes this weekend will be on whether Ms Takaichi will play a more active role in promoting the Quad partnership by playing a bridging role between India and the US Tensions between India and the US over trade and tariffs have delayed the planning of the Quad summit, which is due to be held in November this year.
US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are expected to be at the ASEAN meeting in Malaysia, and it remains to be seen whether a Quad summit date can be expected soon.
New Delhi has also invited all leaders to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit in Delhi in February 2026 and Mr Modi personally invited Mr Ishiba to the summit when they met in Tokyo.
While Ms. Takaichi’s election is expected to have a positive impact on relations with India in other ways, some experts have warned that Ms. Takaichi’s more right-wing stance on immigration could disrupt plans for a mobility partnership between the two countries. In August, Mr. Modi and Mr. Ishiba signed the “India-Japan Human Resource Exchange and Cooperation Action Plan”, which aimed for a two-way exchange of 5,00,000 workers over five years, including “50,000 skilled workers and potential talent from India to Japan”.
The plan could face headwinds, experts warned, given that Ms. Takaichi won a parliamentary primary with the support of the Ishin Party, or Japan’s Innovation Party, which shares her tougher views on national security, defense spending and immigration.
Last month, the more moderate Komeito party, a coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party since 1999, withdrew from the 26-year-old partnership over differences with Ms Takaichi’s views.
Published – 21 Oct 2025 22:08 IST
