Shinzo Abe in his book “Towards a beautiful nation” termed India as Japan’s natural ally as they have no conflict of strategic interest and share common goals to build a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Reasons for strong India-Japan Relations
Geopolitical – Cold war 2.0, G-2
Geoeconomic – Weaponisation of supply chains by China, Trump’s Tariff Wars
Defence and Security – China’s boiling frog strategy in Indo Pacific
Connectivity – China’s debt trap diplomacy through BRI. Eg- Sri Lanka crisis
Multilateralism – UNSC reforms (both are members of G-4)
Building a Strong India-Japan Partnership for Stability in Asia
Strengthen Strategic and Security Cooperation
Institutionalize Indo-Pacific Defence Cooperation- Expand 2+2 ministerial dialogues, enhance joint military exercises (Malabar, JIMEX) and intelligence sharing.
Maritime Security- Establish a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) network in the Indian Ocean to ensure secure Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs).
Regional Architecture- Coordinate policies within Quad, ASEAN, and East Asia Summit to promote regional security and crisis management.
Deepen Economic and Connectivity Linkages
Sustainable Infrastructure under the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) as a transparent alternative to China’s BRI.
Develop joint critical mineral and semiconductor supply chains under the Japan-India Industrial Competitiveness Partnership (IJICP).
Energy and Technological Cooperation – Partner in hydrogen energy, solar manufacturing, and battery storage technologies to drive Asia’s clean transition.
Soft Power and People-to-People Ties – Encourage joint humanitarian and disaster relief operations (HADR) to reinforce India-Japan goodwill across Asia.
Building a Strong India-Japan Partnership for Stability in the World
Promote a Rules-Based Global Order
UN Reforms- Work jointly for UN Security Council reform
Global Governance- Align efforts in WTO, IMF, and World Bank to make global institutions more representative and equitable.
Global Economic Leadership
Promote rule based economic order to counter weaponisation by trade by US and China
Technology and Trade Norms- Co-develop standards in AI ethics, data protection, and digital economy governance.
Climate Action- Jointly lead green finance mechanisms and global partnerships on carbon neutrality, leveraging Japan’s technology and India’s markets.
Collaboration in Global Commons
Maritime Freedom- Cooperate to safeguard open seas in the Western Pacific and Africa’s eastern coast.
Space and Cyber Cooperation- Develop joint frameworks for space situational awareness and cybersecurity, ensuring safe use of global commons.
As Prof. C. Raja Mohan notes, India and Japan can be “anchor democracies in the Indo-Pacific”, balancing China’s rise