New Delhi, August 20: India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation on Thursday, establishing a framework for closer coordination between their navies in maritime awareness, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi signed the arrangement during bilateral talks in New Delhi. The meeting also covered defence technology, operational cooperation and the regional security environment.
Framework for practical naval cooperation
According to the joint statement issued by the two defence ministries, the arrangement provides for stronger cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It specifically includes information sharing in Maritime Domain Awareness, along with closer work in Search and Rescue and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
The ministers also agreed to strengthen coordination for protecting sea lines of communication. The planned mechanisms include visits by naval ships and units, joint exercises, exchanges of personnel and subject-matter experts, and logistical support involving ports, maintenance and repair facilities.
These provisions are intended to convert the broader India-Japan strategic partnership into practical activity at sea. The two countries depend heavily on secure maritime trade routes and have repeatedly supported freedom of navigation and lawful commerce.
Shared assessment of Indo-Pacific security
The ministers emphasised the value of sharing assessments of the regional and international security environment during a period of heightened global tension. Their joint statement recorded opposition to unilateral actions that impede the safety and freedom of navigation or overflight, as well as attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific under the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Singh said the security of the Indian and Pacific Oceans is closely linked and described the protection of maritime lifelines as both an economic necessity and a strategic requirement.
The talks also linked India’s MAHASAGAR vision with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative. The two governments view maritime cooperation as important not only for their own security but also for stability and disaster response across the wider region.
Defence technology and service-level engagement
The meeting included discussion of defence equipment and technology cooperation under the Make in India framework. The detailed joint statement focused on continuing exchanges between the respective ministries and armed services while expanding operational cooperation.
Koizumi’s visit included a tour of the Western Naval Command in Mumbai and the Indian Navy’s indigenously built destroyer INS Chennai. He held discussions with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan. In New Delhi, the Japanese minister laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and received a ceremonial tri-service guard of honour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi later met Koizumi and said the India-Japan partnership remained an important anchor for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
The maritime arrangement now provides an agreed structure for the two sides to deepen information sharing, exercises, logistics and emergency cooperation. Its significance will be measured by the frequency and scope of the practical engagements that follow.
Sources: Press Information Bureau; Japan Ministry of Defense; Akashvani News.
