Tokyo, Japan – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Friday to further bolster economic and security cooperation over the next decade, as Tokyo places greater emphasis on India’s growing global role amid challenges.
After talks in Tokyo, Ishiba and Modi unveiled a “joint vision” outlining their collaboration, with goals of boosting Japanese investment in India to 10 trillion yen ($68 billion) and raising mutual personnel exchanges to 500,000 within five years.
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The two countries also expressed “serious concern” over the East and South China seas, according to a separate joint statement, apparently alluding to intensifying Chinese military activity in the waters.
“Japan and India are both responsible for maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” Ishiba said at a joint press conference following the talks.
The two issued a joint declaration on security cooperation, which was revised “to reflect the new stage of their partnership,” vowing to expand drills between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Indian Armed Forces. The document was the first update since its adoption in 2008.
Japan also has deep security ties with India, with both being members of the Quad alongside the United States and Australia.
Modi invited Ishiba to visit India for a Quad summit slated for later this year, and Ishiba accepted “with pleasure,” according to the statement.
The partnership between India and Japan “is rooted in mutual trust, reflects our national priorities and is shaped by our shared values and beliefs,” Modi said.
As for India’s high-speed railway project to link the western cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the two leaders agreed to work together on the introduction of the “latest Japanese shinkansen” bullet train technology toward the “earliest” start of operations.
“We believe Japanese technology and Indian talent are a winning combination,” Modi said.
They also announced new bilateral initiatives to promote artificial intelligence, support startups and address economic security challenges such as securing stable supplies of crucial minerals and semiconductors.
Ahead of the summit, Ishiba and Modi attended an economic forum in Tokyo to discuss investment issues and potential areas of collaboration in cutting-edge technology, among other topics.
“Amid an increasingly uncertain international economy, it is essential to build resilient supply chains and ensure economic security together with a credible partner,” Ishiba said, with Modi stressing what he called India’s political and economic stability.
Japan places great value on its relationship with India, which has the world’s largest population, exceeding 1.4 billion, and a fast-growing economy that is on track to become the world’s third-largest in the near future, behind the United States and China.
The relationship between India and the United States has become tense recently, with President Donald Trump imposing a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports on Wednesday.
Trump cited New Delhi’s ongoing oil purchases from Russia, with which it traditionally maintains friendly ties, as his reasoning for the tariff amid Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
On Saturday, Ishiba and Modi will travel to the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi by shinkansen bullet train, where they will visit a production base of major semiconductor manufacturer Tokyo Electron Ltd., the Japanese government said.
Modi last visited Japan in May 2023 when he was invited as a guest to a Group of Seven summit held in Hiroshima.
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