Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day official visit to Japan marked a watershed moment in bilateral ties, culminating in a series of high-stakes agreements, initiatives, and alliances aimed at laying the foundation for the next decade of cooperation.
1.
Joint Vision for the Next Decade
India and Japan adopted a comprehensive roadmap setting out eight strategic pillars—economic partnership, economic security, mobility, ecological sustainability, technology & innovation, health, people-to-people relations, and state–prefecture engagement—to guide their “Special Strategic and Global Partnership” through 2035.
2.
Enhanced Security Collaboration
A renewed Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation charted a forward-looking course for defense and regional security collaboration aimed at addressing contemporary geopolitical challenges.
3.
Human Resource Exchange Action Plan
A bold strategy was unveiled to foster the exchange of 500,000 people between India and Japan over five years—including 50,000 skilled Indian professionals relocating to Japan—boosting human capital and addressing labor needs.
4.
Decarbonization through Innovation
A Memorandum of Cooperation on the Joint Crediting Mechanism was forged to accelerate the spread of decarbonizing technologies in India, promoting sustainable development and encouraging targeted Japanese investments.
5.
Digital and Technological Partnership
The Digital Partnership 2.0 MoU was signed to deepen cooperation in digital public infrastructure, talent development, and joint R&D across areas like AI, IoT, and semiconductors.
6.
Mineral Resources Collaboration
An MoC was established to bolster supply chain resilience for critical minerals—focusing on processing technologies, joint investments, and strategic stockpiling.
7.
Chandrayaan-5: Space Cooperation
An implementing arrangement between ISRO and JAXA formalizes the framework for cooperation on the Chandrayaan-5 (Joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission), marking a milestone in space collaboration.
8.
Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia
A Joint Declaration of Intent supports joint research, investment, and project implementation in hydrogen and ammonia technologies, aligned with India’s green energy goals.
9–12.
Cultural Exchange, Environmental and Diplomatic Training
Additional pacts include:
- Cultural exchange MoU to promote artistic dialogue and museum collaboration.
- MoUs for decentralized wastewater management and environmental cooperation.
- An MoU between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for diplomatic training.
- A joint S&T statement between India’s DST and Japan’s MEXT to support researcher exchanges and innovation collaboration.
13.
Major Announcements and Initiatives
- JPY 10 trillion (approximately $68 billion) in Japanese private investment over the next decade targets expansion across semiconductors, rare earths, green energy, and digital technologies.
- Launch of the India–Japan Economic Security Initiative aimed at enhancing supply chain resilience in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, telecom, and critical minerals.
- Initiatives including the AI Initiative (focusing on LLMs, training, and start-up support), Next-Generation Mobility Partnership (infrastructure, logistics, smart transportation), SME Forum, Sustainable Fuel Initiative, State–Prefecture high-level exchanges, and business forums in Kansai and Kyushu to deepen regional integration.
14.
Symbolic Show of Connectivity
PM Modi and PM Ishiba rode the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Sendai, highlighting high-speed rail cooperation and cementing their technological and people-to-people ties. Their visit included stops at a semiconductor machinery plant and engagement with Indian trainees contributing to India’s Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train project.
In summary, the August 29–30, 2025 India–Japan summit in Tokyo yielded 21 pacts across 12 areas, backed by a decade-long vision and vast investment commitments. These outcomes place bilateral ties on a trajectory of deep, strategic collaboration spanning defense, technology, green energy, infrastructure, and people-to-people engagement—setting an ambitious and transformative roadmap for years to come.
