India, Japan Sign AI and Defence Pacts After Modi-Takaichi Talks

India and Japan signed a set of agreements early in July to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, critical minerals, energy, and defence, adding a joint economic security roadmap to a partnership that both sides described as increasingly vital amid global uncertainty.

The pacts were finalised after talks in New Delhi between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, who arrived with a large business delegation for a three-day visit. The two leaders adopted three documents covering economic security, energy resilience, and AI. "The convergence of Japan's precision technology and India's software capabilities will give a new momentum and strength to global AI development," Modi told reporters.

Takaichi framed the cooperation as a response to a turbulent international landscape. "Japan and India will leverage each other's strengths to grow strong and prosperous together," she said. "Building such a mutually complementary cooperative relationship has become increasingly important". Neither leader took questions.

The defence component of the talks produced a first-of-its-kind agreement on a co-development project, although details were not disclosed. Both countries are members of the Quad grouping alongside Australia and the United States, a bloc widely seen as a counterweight to China's influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Bilateral trade between India and Japan reached $27.5 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year, and Japanese investment in India hit $3.2 billion between April and December 2025. Japan has already pledged to more than double its investment in India to over $61 billion over the next decade, and Japanese firms have made significant moves, including a $1.6 billion stake in Yes Bank.

Takaichi's visit follows Modi's trip to Tokyo last year, and the agreements signal that the relationship is broadening beyond infrastructure into technology domains that both governments view as strategic.