International Relations
Revisiting India-Japan Relations
- 08 Sep 2025
- 9 min read
For Prelims: Indo-Pacific region, ASEAN, United Nations Charter, Veer Guardian, Dharma Guardian, JIMEX, Buddhism
For Mains: India-Japan Relations, Strategic Partnerships and Regional Security, Key Challenges and Way Forward in India-Japan Relations
Why in News?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan reinforced the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, resulting in 13 key agreements and a pledge of 10 trillion yen (USD 68 billion) investment in private investment from Japan over the next decade.
How is the India-Japan Strategic Partnership Evolving in Key Sectors?
The key announcements and developments made during the Prime Minister’s visit are as follows:
- Joint Vision Roadmap: Announcement of the India–Japan Joint Vision for the Next Decade, outlining 8 priority areas- economic partnership, security, mobility, ecological sustainability, technology and innovation, health, people-to-people ties, and state-prefecture engagement.
- Defence & Security Cooperation: India and Japan signed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, marking a substantial update and expansion of their 2008 agreement.
- Institutionalised NSA-level dialogue and expanded tri-service exercises (Dharma Guardian, Veer Guardian, Milan).
- DRDO–ATLA collaboration on missile defence and maritime surveillance; movement towards co-production of defence equipment.
- Technology & Space Collaboration: Launched Digital Partnership 2.0 and India-Japan AI Initiative for Large Language Models(LLMs) and R&D.
- Signed ISRO–JAXA pact for Chandrayaan-5 joint lunar polar mission.
- Cooperation in robotics, semiconductors, shipbuilding, space awareness, and nuclear energy.
- Infrastructure & Connectivity: Progress on Bullet Train project with next-gen Shinkansen (360 kmph) in both countries by 2030, suited for seismic zones.
- Launched Next-Gen Mobility Partnership across transport sectors.
- Japan’s continued support through projects like Delhi Metro (USD 2.6 Billion investment) and vision for 7,000-km high-speed rail by 2047.
- Green Energy & Climate Cooperation: Operationalised Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) under Paris Agreement.
- Signed declarations on Clean Hydrogen & Ammonia; launched Sustainable Fuel Initiative.
- People-to-People Cooperation: Action Plan on Human Resource Exchange to enable mobility of 5 lakh people, including 50,000 Indian workers.
- Launched Next-Gen State Prefecture Partnership, cultural MoUs, and diplomacy training programs.
How Have India-Japan Deepened Their Bilateral Relationship?
- Historical Ties: India and Japan share civilizational links through Buddhism.
- Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru donated an elephant to Japan (1949), symbolizing the beginning of a renewed relationship after World War II.
- India established diplomatic relations with Japan in 1952 with the signing of a peace treaty.
- Strategic Partnership: The relationship was elevated over time with the signing of Global Partnership (2000), Strategic & Global Partnership (2006), and Special Strategic & Global Partnership (2014).
- ‘India–Japan Vision 2025’ was announced in 2015 outlining a framework for cooperation.
- Defence & Security: India-Japan defence ties have strengthened since 2015 with agreements on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation and Security of Classified Military Information.
- Key milestones include 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue (2019), and Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) (2020).
- Regular Joint Working Group on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation (JWG-DETC) meetings.
- Amendments to the Three Principles for Transfer of Equipment and Technology (2023), and the first Joint Services Staff Talks (2023) have enhanced tri-service interoperability.
- Exercises include Malabar, Milan, JIMEX, Dharma Guardian, and Coast Guard cooperation, with focus on technology transfer.
- Indo-Pacific & Regional Cooperation: India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) align with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision.
- The Act East Forum (2017) and joint statements emphasising a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” guide strategic cooperation.
- Japan is India’s largest Official Development Assistance (ODA) donor, and both cooperate in Quad, ISA, CDRI, and SCRI.
- Trade & Investment: As part of the China+1 strategy, Japan views India as a key manufacturing base and market.
- The review of CEPA and promotion of GIFT City aim to boost trade and financial ties, while Japan’s USD 68 billion investment pledge by 2035 reflects strong confidence in India’s growth.
- The Joint Action Plan on Economic Security further reinforces supply chain resilience, marking a transformative phase in bilateral economic relations.
What Are the Key Challenges in India–Japan Relations?
- Trade Imbalance: Despite the CEPA, bilateral trade remains skewed in Japan’s favour.
- In FY24, Japan exported goods worth USD 17.69 billion to India, while India’s exports stood at only USD 5.15 billion.
- Non-tariff barriers, stringent import standards (especially on agriculture and textiles), and slow progress in CEPA reform are the major contributing factors.
- Divergent Strategic Outlooks: India’s strategic autonomy contrasts with Japan’s formal alliance with the U.S., leading to differences in response to issues like Russia sanctions.
- This divergence affects coordination in multilateral forums and weakens strategic alignment.
- Regional Priorities: India focuses on South Asia, and the Indian Ocean, while Japan is preoccupied with East Asian security, North Korea, and US alliance obligations, limiting full engagement.
- Delays in Development:The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project faces significant delays due to land acquisition hurdles and regulatory issues, pushing completion from 2022 to 2028.
- The US-2 amphibious aircraft deal remains stalled over unresolved concerns on technology transfer and pricing.
What Steps Are Needed to Advance India–Japan Strategic Partnership?
- Economic Transformation: Reform CEPA to unlock trade potential, anchor Japanese FDI in semiconductors, critical minerals, and manufacturing, and expand the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) as a credible alternative to Chinese dominance.
- Defence & Security: Enhance defence collaboration focusing on shared security, joint exercises, technology transfer, and co-development projects.
- Indo-Pacific & Regional Strategy: Ensure coherence in approach at platforms such as QUAD, promoting freedom of navigation and the rules-based order, and engage diplomatically to promote regional peace, despite differences on global issues like Ukraine.
- Infrastructure & Connectivity: Accelerate Bullet Train, industrial corridors, and connectivity projects, including in India’s Northeast and ports linking India, Japan, and Indo-Pacific partners, enhancing multilateral infrastructure cooperation.
- People-to-People Exchanges: Promote academic exchanges, language programs, tourism, diaspora engagement, and business forums, including skilled worker mobility and digitalisation support by Indian IT professionals, to strengthen soft power and business-to-business collaboration.
Conclusion
The India–Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership encompasses defence, technology, trade, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges. Despite challenges such as trade deficits and regional strategic differences, both nations are deepening bilateral cooperation. Leveraging their strengths in technology, investment, and human capital, the partnership can serve as a resilient and mutually beneficial model in the Indo-Pacific.
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Drishti Mains Question: Discuss the strategic, economic, and technological dimensions of India–Japan cooperation. What are the key challenges, and how can both countries enhance their partnership? |
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)
Q1. In which one of the following groups are all four countries members of G20? (2020)
(a) Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey
(b) Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand
(c) Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam
(d) Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea
Ans: (a)
Q. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is transforming itself into a trade bloc from a military alliance, in present times Discuss. (2020).
