 Early Times Report
LEH, Aug 20: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on 20 August 2026. The joint press statement is as follows:
"On 20 August 2026, Mr. Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of Defense of Japan, and Shri Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence of the Republic of India, held a Japan-India Defence Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi.
The two Ministers welcomed the steady strengthening of defence cooperation, including cooperation among the respective Ministries and the Services of the two countries that share strategic perspectives, under the "Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership", which constitutes one of the pillars for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
Recalling the Japan-India Joint Statement issued by the leaders of the two countries in July 2026, the two Ministers affirmed their commitment, under their leadership, to further deepen defence cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The two Ministers concurred on the importance of sharing assessments of the regional and international security environment between the two countries at a time of heightened global tensions. They expressed their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that impede freedom and safety of navigation and overflight, as well as to any attempts to change the status-quo by force or coercion.
The two Ministers concurred on deepening operational cooperation in the field of maritime security in a practical and effective manner. They accordingly affirmed their commitment to strengthening Maritime Security Cooperation and signed the Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of Japan and Ministry of Defence of India.
The Memorandum provides a framework for further advancing cooperation between the two countries in the field of maritime security. Specifically, it includes the strengthening of cooperation between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy, including information sharing in the field of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), as well as enhanced cooperation in areas such as Search and Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
The two Ministers concurred on moving swiftly to realize concrete maritime security cooperation that serves the strategic and operational needs. They further shared the view that both sides should maximize synergies to enhance mine countermeasures capabilities and explore the possibility of joint development in naval shipbuilding and design by leveraging Japan's technological expertise and India's production capabilities in accordance with their respective relevant policies. They further shared the view that both sides should leverage each other's strengths in the field of defense shipbuilding and related areas, and deepen discussions on Japan's use of India's production capabilities under the framework of "Make in India". The Two Ministers also concurred on progressing reciprocal provision of ship repair facilities including the conclusion of ship repair arrangement in near future. |
