India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation on Aug. 20, further strengthening their strategic partnership amid growing concerns over China’s growing military footprint in the Indo-Pacific.
The agreement, signed by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, covers cooperation between the two countries’ naval forces and includes the exploration of joint naval ship development and production.
“Specifically, it includes the strengthening of cooperation between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy, including information sharing in the field of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), as well as enhanced cooperation in areas such as Search and Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR),” said the joint press statement issued by India’s Ministry of Defense.
Experts told Vision Times that the “Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation” between India and Japan has come at a time when the US policy in the region is becoming uncertain while the Chinese threat is increasing. Joint naval ship development signifies joint vision for building military industrial capability.
“The agreement comes at a crucial time amid an ambivalent approach by the US towards the region. It reflects the escalating concerns among the regional countries regarding China’s military expansion in the Indian Ocean,” said Bibhu Prasad Routray, an Indian national-security and strategic-affairs specialist and the Director of Mantraya Institute for Strategic Studies.
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Grant Newsham, a senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (JFSS) in Tokyo and senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy (CSP) in Washington, D.C., told Vision Times that the agreement is more significant than “usual such cooperative agreements” because it offers concrete operational benefits to both countries.
“Also consider the political significance of this tie up between Asia’s two main democracies, with an unspoken subtext of jointly defending against Chinese expansion and aggression. Other countries in the region may be assured and ‘bandwagon’ quietly with India and Japan,” Newsham said.
The statement shared by the Japanese Ministry of Defense said that India and Japan share a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and together oppose any unilateral actions that threaten it. The two ministers also agreed to share assessments about the regional and international security environment at a time of heightened global tensions.
“Both India and Japan have unequivocally condemned unilateral actions that threaten freedom of navigation and any attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion. In this context, this maritime pact significantly bolsters the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, seamlessly aligning India’s regional strategy with Japan’s vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” Routray said.
He highlighted the importance of closer Indian and Japanese naval coordination in deterring coercive actions at sea that could threaten freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, where major sea lanes carry much of the region’s trade and energy supplies.
“This move will also reassure smaller regional states by reinforcing a rules-based maritime order that works,” Routray added.
Newsham emphasized that the U.S. could “carefully and quietly support and join” India-Japan initiatives that align with American strategic interests.
“It’s good to have Japan taking the lead. Japan in fact has a better relationship with India than does the USA and without the historical baggage,” he said.
Scope of the proposed maritime cooperation
The proposed “maritime security cooperation” encompasses a range of activities based on converging Indian and Japanese interests in the Indo-Pacific, including operational coordination, information sharing and defense-industrial cooperation.
“The two Ministers affirmed that they would strengthen coordination between both sides for the protection of Sea Lines of Communications through mutual visits by naval ships and units, joint exercises, personnel and Subject Matter Expert (SME) exchanges and logistical support including use of ports, maintenance and repair facilities,” the Indian Ministry of Defense said.
Regarding the operational dimension of the agreement, Routray said it emphasizes information sharing and joint operations, including regular naval exercises, ship visits and port calls.
Such cooperation, he said, will improve maritime domain awareness through greater coordination on surveillance, search-and-rescue missions and disaster-relief operations.
“Additionally, it focuses on the protection of vital sea lanes that facilitate trade and energy shipments, while proactively countering threats such as sea mines and submarines,” he added.
Newsham described maritime security cooperation as also encompassing the technology and hardware required for activities ranging from patrolling and surveillance to law enforcement, combat operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
“It can also mean routine joint training and exercising between the two nations’ naval services,” he said.
Significance of Indo-Japanese joint naval shipbuilding
An important aspectof the Aug. 20 agreement is the two countries’ plan to explore joint development and production of naval ships.
Newsham noted Japan possesses advanced commercial and military technologies that India could use in shipbuilding, defense communications, and maritime surveillance.
The joint statement released by Japan’s Ministry of Defense said the two countries should “explore the possibility of joint development in naval shipbuilding and design by leveraging Japan’s technological expertise and India’s production capabilities in accordance with their respective relevant policies.”
The statement said this could involve deeper discussions on Japan’s use of Indian production capabilities under the “Make in India” framework.
According to Routray, such cooperation could strengthen the defense preparedness of both countries while promoting greater industrial and logistical integration between their naval sectors.
“It indicates that India-Japan defence ties are moving from strategic dialogue toward real technology transfer and industrial cooperation. Joint naval shipbuilding will enhance each other’s industrial capability. The plan combines Japan’s technological expertise with India’s cost-effective manufacturing base,” he said.
Japan’s proposal to jointly develop and produce Mogami-class frigates with India is significant in this context, according to Routray. He said such cooperation could create long-term industrial links spanning advanced manufacturing, electronics, propulsion systems, artificial intelligence and maintenance, strengthening both military capabilities and economic resilience.
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