India, Japan Sign Maritime Security Pact to Deepen Defence Ties

India and Japan sign a maritime security pact to deepen defence cooperation, expand shipbuilding and repair collaboration, strengthen mine countermeasure capabilities and support a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

India and Japan have signed another Memorandum of Arrangement (MoA) on Maritime Security Cooperation to further deepen India's strategic and defence ties with Japan. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi sign the agreement in New Delhi, reiterating their commitment towards a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

The agreement sets the guidelines for the further development of cooperation in the field of maritime security and enhancement of coordination between the two nations. Both ministers discussed the changing regional security landscape and stressed the need for enhanced defence cooperation and collaboration to tackle common maritime security challenges.

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India and Japan will discuss India's shipbuilding and defence production capability under the initiative Make in India in the framework of the new cooperation. The relocation is likely to provide more possibilities for cooperation between the two countries' defence sectors and help India develop the domestic shipbuilding industry.

The two parties also agreed to improve access to ship repair facilities. India and Japan are seeking to finalise a separate ship repair deal in the near future to enhance cooperation in logistics and operational support in the region for the Indian Navy.

Another field of cooperation is that of maritime mine countermeasures. Both countries will cooperate to reinforce capacities in this area and speed up practical maritime security measures depending on each country's strategic and operational needs.

The new pact follows a consistent trend in the development of defence cooperation between India and Japan in the past few years. There are frequent military engagements and service-to-service interactions and joint exercises between the countries' armed forces. They are also collaborating on various issues through the Quad, such as maritime security, supply-chain resilience and emerging technologies.

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The agreement is the result of the India-Japan Joint Statement issued by the leaders of the two countries in July, which invited the two countries to enhance the level of defence cooperation for the promotion of peace and stability in the region. The new partnership thus not only expands the strategic relationship but also introduces an operational element.

As maritime security has become a growing concern in the Indo-Pacific, the pact is likely to boost maritime connectivity, naval coordination and cooperation in the defence industry between India and Japan. It also further strengthens their common goal of building stability, security and prosperity in the region.