India, Japan Propose Partnership on AI and Critical Minerals

• India and Japan to launch AI dialogue and a Joint Working Group on critical minerals
• Talks come amid rising tensions over Taiwan and China's actions against Japan
• Japan and Italy to strengthen critical minerals supply chains, reducing reliance on China

India and Japan have made a pact to boost their cooperation in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and critical minerals, as a result of high-level strategic talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

The 18th Strategic Dialogue between India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi led to two significant actions.

One is the AI dialogue that will proceed with the collaboration in the area of AI, the other is the establishment of a Joint Working Group on critical minerals, which will be concerned with rare earths and other strategic materials but constrained by the economic security framework.

The negotiations took place when the situation in the South China Sea was escalating, with Japan expressing its concerns regarding the security of Taiwan.

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In reaction to this, China has been taking some economic measures such as stopping tourism and trade to Japan, placing a ban on the import of seafood from Japan, and limiting the export of items that have dual-use to Japan. The talks came after the encounter between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi at the G20 Leaders' Summit in November 2025.

The trip of Motegi to India from 15 to 17 January not only comprised a conference with Prime Minister Modi but also covered a wide range of topics including trade, resilience of supply chains, defense, technology, and innovation. Japan has a strong desire to start a new round of talks on economic security and to develop a business-to-business dialogue.

Moreover, Japan and Italy at the same time confirmed their economic security cooperation, particularly in the area of strengthening critical minerals supply chains. This is part of Japan's wider strategy to cut down on China reliance and improve its own supply, as evidenced by Japan's recent expedition to obtain rare earth minerals from the seabed of the Pacific.