Archive · 21 Aug 2026
India and Japan Strengthen Maritime Security Cooperation Amid Regional Tensions
India and Japan agreed to work more closely to keep important ocean routes safe.
Their defence ministers signed an agreement in New Delhi.
The countries will share information and hold more naval exercises.
They may also help each other repair ships and use ports.
They said countries should not use force to change existing conditions at sea.
The agreement comes as India is concerned about China’s growing naval influence in the Indian Ocean region.
Japan and India also want to cooperate on defence manufacturing and technology.
Their air forces are preparing for an exercise called Veer Guardian 26.
India and Japan signed a maritime security cooperation agreement in New Delhi.
The agreement covers information sharing, naval exercises, ship repairs and logistical support.
Both sides opposed unilateral actions that threaten navigation or attempts to change the status quo by force.
India and Japan will coordinate to protect Indo-Pacific sea lines of communication through visits, exercises and port access.
The countries also discussed defence shipbuilding, the Veer Guardian 26 air exercise and a ship-borne communications project.
- Who
- India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
- What
- They signed a memorandum of arrangement to strengthen operational maritime security cooperation.
- When
- Thursday; the Veer Guardian 26 air exercise is scheduled for this year.
- Where
- The talks and signing took place in New Delhi, with cooperation focused on the Indo-Pacific.
- Why
- To protect vital sea lines of communication, improve maritime coordination and support a free and open Indo-Pacific amid heightened regional tensions.
- Agreement
- India and Japan signed a memorandum of arrangement on maritime security cooperation.
- Cooperation areas
- Information sharing, naval exercises, ship repairs, logistical support, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance.
- Sea-line protection
- The countries will coordinate through naval-ship visits, joint exercises, personnel exchanges, port access, maintenance and repair facilities.
- Regional concern
- An Indian defence ministry official said India is worried about China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region.
- Air exercise
- Veer Guardian 26 will involve the two countries’ air forces, with Japanese fighter aircraft visiting India for the first time for the exercise.
- Defence technology
- The ship-borne UNICORN integrated communications antenna system was described as the first defence equipment transfer project between the two countries.
- Industrial cooperation
- The ministers discussed Japan’s use of India’s production capabilities under the Make-in-India framework.