India and Japan push maritime, air-force and defence-industry cooperation at ADMM-Plus

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi reviewed an expanding set of bilateral defence initiatives on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Cebu, Philippines.

The two sides discussed maritime-security cooperation including mine-countermeasure capabilities and the possibility of joint development in naval shipbuilding and design, combining Japanese technology with Indian production capacity. They also reviewed growing cooperation between the two air forces following Exercise Veer Guardian 26 and high-level service exchanges.

Defence-industry ties are another focus. An India-Japan Defence Industry Forum in Tokyo brought together around 40 companies from the two countries, reflecting an effort to move the relationship beyond exercises and strategic dialogue toward technology, manufacturing and supply-chain partnerships.

The ministers also agreed to accelerate discussions for the next Japan-India Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting, commonly called the 2+2, and a defence-ministerial meeting in Tokyo later in 2026.

The wider significance is the Indo-Pacific security environment. India and Japan share an interest in secure sea lanes, maritime domain awareness and a regional order in which coercion does not determine access to the commons. The practical value of the partnership will depend on whether political convergence translates into interoperable capabilities, industrial projects and sustained operational cooperation.