--- title: "India and Japan sign maritime security pact to deepen defence cooperation" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/india-japan-maritime-pact-7jtv8 publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: Politics published: 2026-08-20T09:00:50.944Z modified: 2026-08-20T20:30:06.445Z language: en-IN --- # India and Japan sign maritime security pact to deepen defence cooperation New Delhi hosted bilateral talks on August 20, 2026, where India and Japan signed a Maritime Security Cooperation MoA. The accord broadens operational collaboration, including information sharing, exercises, and ship support, within their broader security partnership. ## Key takeaways - India and Japan signed a Maritime Security Cooperation Memorandum of Arrangement in New Delhi on August 20, 2026. - The pact expands information sharing, naval exercises, ship repair and logistics support between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. - The agreement includes Maritime Domain Awareness, search and rescue, humanitarian relief, and reciprocal access to ports and maintenance facilities. - Expanded exercises include Dharma Guardian, JAIMEX, and Veer Guardian 26, with Japanese aircraft set to participate in India for the first time. - There is emphasis on mine countermeasures, potential joint shipbuilding, and leveraging Make-in-India in defence equipment and technology transfer. ## What Happened On August 20, 2026, in New Delhi, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi held talks and signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation. The agreement aims to deepen operational cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, covering information sharing, naval exercises, ship repair and logistics support. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a wider defence partnership under the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership and to pursuing a free and open Indo-Pacific amid rising global tensions. The pact provides a framework for closer cooperation in Maritime Domain Awareness, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It also calls for reciprocal naval visits, personnel exchanges, and access to ports and repair facilities, with an emphasis on mine countermeasures and potential joint development in naval shipbuilding and design using Japan’s technology and India’s production capabilities. India and Japan also considered greater use of Make in India marine capabilities and reciprocal ship repair arrangements. The ministers welcomed expanded bilateral exercises, including Dharma Guardian, JAIMEX, and the planned Veer Guardian 26 air exercise, with Japanese fighter aircraft slated to participate in India for the first time. They also discussed more complex exercises and integration of unmanned systems, and cooperation with India’s emerging integrated theatre commands. Separately, Japan’s Koizumi arrived in Mumbai before proceeding to New Delhi for the discussions, and the visit included briefings on the Indian Navy’s roles and regional responsibilities, plus a tour of the indigenous destroyer INS Chennai. The exchange underscored shared aims around defence equipment transfer principles and the Make-in-India framework as part of broader collaboration. ## Why It Matters The pact signals a formal, expanded security partnership between two major Indo-Pacific actors, potentially shaping naval interoperability and regional force posture. By linking maritime domain awareness, joint exercises, and ship maintenance, the agreement could affect the balance of naval readiness and logistics in the region and support a shared emphasis on freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific. It also ties into broader policy directions, including cooperation on defence equipment and technology transfer, and highlights an emphasis on joint development and production capabilities under Make-in-India, which could influence future naval procurement and industrial collaboration between the two countries. ## Background The discussions sit within the framework of the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership, aimed at deepening defence ties and ensuring a stable Indo-Pacific. Prior to the New Delhi talks, Koizumi’s visit to Mumbai and the Indian Navy’s showcases, including INS Chennai, helped set the stage for technical and industrial collaboration aligned with Japan’s revised transfer principles and India’s Make-in-India initiative. ## Key Facts - Date and place: August 20, 2026, New Delhi, India. - Participants: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh; Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. - Agreement: Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation. - Core aims: information sharing, naval exercises, ship repair and logistics support. - Framework areas: Maritime Domain Awareness, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. - Cooperation mechanisms: reciprocal naval visits, exchanges, access to ports and repair facilities. - Specific focuses: mine countermeasures; potential joint naval shipbuilding and design; use of Make in India capabilities; reciprocal ship repair facilities. - Exercises: expansion of Dharma Guardian and JAIMEX; planned Veer Guardian 26 with Japanese aircraft in India. - Operational enhancements: more complex exercises, unmanned systems, short-notice joint exercises. - Conjoined efforts: exchanges between Special Operations Forces; cooperation with India’s integrated theatre commands after their establishment. - Additional context: Koizumi’s Mumbai visit included a tour of INS Chennai and briefings on India’s defence roles. ## What Happens Next The two governments indicated continued discussion on joint development in naval shipbuilding and production, and ongoing coordination on defence equipment transfer principles under Make-in-India. Possible future steps include expanding port access and maintenance arrangements, as well as scheduling additional joint exercises and real-time information-sharing mechanisms to enhance readiness. --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/india-japan-maritime-pact-7jtv8 Reported from: Multiple Sources