India, Japan Deepen Defence Partnership with New Maritime Security Pact

New Delhi, August 20, 2026: India and Japan agreed to significantly deepen bilateral defence cooperation during a meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi on Thursday.

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation, covering maritime domain awareness, information sharing, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. They also agreed to strengthen naval cooperation through joint exercises, ship visits, personnel exchanges and logistical support.

India and Japan welcomed progress on the upcoming Veer Guardian 26 air exercise, which will see Japanese fighter aircraft participate in India for the first time.

The countries also discussed defence technology, shipbuilding, repair facilities, unmanned systems and R&D cooperation between DRDO and Japan’s ATLA. A new working group will coordinate cooperation across operational, intelligence, technology and industrial domains.