India and Japan sign maritime security arrangement and explore joint naval shipbuilding
Defence ministers Rajnath Singh and Shinjiro Koizumi agreed to deepen operational cooperation, including information sharing, logistics support and possible joint development of naval vessels.
New Delhi1 min read
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India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation on August 20, 2026, during talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi.
The arrangement creates a framework for closer work between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It covers Maritime Domain Awareness, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Both sides agreed to strengthen protection of sea lines of communication through reciprocal ship visits, joint exercises, personnel exchanges and logistical support that includes access to ports plus maintenance and repair facilities.
They also decided to explore joint development in naval shipbuilding and design. Japan would contribute technological expertise while India would bring production capacity under the Make in India framework. Reciprocal ship repair facilities form part of the discussion.
The ministers expressed opposition to unilateral actions that impede freedom of navigation and overflight or that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. They reaffirmed commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Existing exercises such as Dharma Guardian and JAIMEX will expand. A new air exercise, Veer Guardian 26, is planned. The agreement builds on the Quad framework that also includes the United States and Australia.
The practical steps on logistics and potential co-development mark a concrete advance in the bilateral defence relationship at a time of elevated regional maritime tensions.
