Diplomatic ties between India and Japan were further strengthened as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi made her maiden visit to New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held key talks with his Japanese counterpart on Thursday, July 2, covering key areas of cooperation such as economic security, defence, healthcare and technology.
This cooperation represents a major gathering between the second and third largest economies in Asia, as the two countries seek to combine the scale of delivery in India and the quality assurance in Japan to strengthen their position in the global race for artificial intelligence in a rapidly advancing world.
Main topics discussed
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Takaichi Sanai held wide-ranging talks on the full scope of Indo-Japan relations, including trade, investment, economic security, energy, emerging technologies, defence, and people-to-people exchanges,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on social media.
“They also exchanged views on regional and global developments of common interest. The talks achieved tangible progress on the main priorities of our bilateral relations.”
According to Jaiswal, the two sides adopted three landmark documents during the meeting of the two prime ministers: the Joint Declaration on Economic Security, the Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence Cooperation, and the Joint Statement on Energy Resilience.
“Both leaders witnessed the exchange of MoUs and key agreements covering economic security, clean energy, biotechnologies and research and development. The two sides agreed on a list of activities to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,” Jaiswal added.
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Technology partnership
While addressing a press conference after signing several MoUs between the two countries, Prime Minister Modi revealed that development cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence was a point of keen interest between the two countries, reports news agency ANI.
“Prime Minister Takaishi and I believe that the technology partnership will become the strongest pillar of our cooperation,” Prime Minister Modi said. “To realize this vision, we also issued a joint statement today regarding the field of AI. Several key organizations within the Indian AI ecosystem also signed agreements with their Japanese partners today. The convergence of Japanese precision technology and Indian software capabilities will add new momentum and strength to the development of global AI.”
This development comes after the launch of the Japan-India AI Cooperation Initiative in 2026 along with the first India-Japan Strategic Dialogue on AI held in Mumbai on April 21, 2026.
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Apart from cooperating in the race to control artificial intelligence, the two countries also agreed to cooperate on multiple clean energy initiatives including a promise to set up 1,000 biogas and organic fertilizer plants in India. “This will give new strength to sustainability, prosperity and rural livelihoods in the villages of India,” Prime Minister Modi added in his speech, as reported by news agency PTI.
In addition, an agreement was signed to enhance cooperation in the field of geology and mineral exploration to obtain important minerals along with enhancing cooperation in the battery sector, according to Reuters news agency.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were raised to the level of a special strategic and global partnership in 2014.
Defense and healthcare
Under the agreement signed on the defense sector, Prime Minister Modi underscored the joint development project between the two countries that will not only help in developing defense technologies but also enhance “maritime security and regional peace”.
“This project – which includes the ‘Unicorn’ marine radio antenna – will open a new chapter in our defense technology partnership. We will now jointly develop defense technologies that enhance regional peace, maritime security and rules-based order,” he stated.
Efforts to strengthen defense ties between the two countries have been long underway with the third 2-2 meeting of foreign and defense ministers held in August 2024, the visit of former Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani for talks with his Indian counterpart in May 2025, and the signing of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation during the annual summit in August 2025.
Healthcare also became an important point of discussion as agreements were signed in the field of “pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biotechnology” along with the promise to contribute to global health security.
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Amid the growing Indo-Japan relations, the meeting also reiterated the upcoming 75th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations in 2027 and emphasized the shared cultural ties between the two countries. Bilateral cooperation is expected to extend to other key areas such as trade, investment, economic security, defence, science and technology, culture and people-to-people relations.
Prime Minister Takaishi is currently in India for a three-day visit from July 1 to July 3 at the request of Prime Minister Modi.
