New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, reaffirmed their commitment to regional security during a joint press conference following bilateral talks in New Delhi on Thursday, as part of the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit. The two leaders also announced a defence agreement covering the UNICORN (Unified Complex Radio Antenna) naval mast project, aimed at deepening defence ties between the two countries.
“Today, both India and Japan are among the world’s largest economies. A free, prosperous, and rules-based Indo-Pacific is our shared priority. As the region’s largest democratic and market economies, we have undertaken several significant initiatives today. Together, these will pave the way for peace, stability, and progress across the entire region,” PM Modi said.
“In the defence sector, we have signed an agreement today on the first co-development project between India and Japan. This project, involving the Naval Radio Antenna UNICORN, will open a new chapter in our defence technology partnership,” he added.
Modi said India and Japan will jointly develop defence technologies aimed at strengthening regional peace, maritime security and the rules-based order.
Speaking at the press conference, Takaichi said, “Our two countries share the vision on the profile of the international order we should establish under the current international situation. I recently announced the updated FOIP (Free and Open Indo-Pacific), which focuses on self-reliance and resilience to realise FOIP.”
She added, “Prime Minister Modi positions the ocean as a shared space that supports regional stability and growth and is promoting the Mahasagar, the Great Ocean Initiative for countries across the Indian Ocean to defend their sovereignty and the sea through their own efforts, which is perfectly aligned with FOIP. Thus, we agreed to deepen the strategic cooperation between Japan and India to achieve such common goals. Expansion of maritime security cooperation is especially important for regional peace and stability.”
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Takaichi also announced joint India-Japan naval exercises in the Indian Ocean involving a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and an Indian Navy vessel, aimed at promoting naval maintenance, repair and overhaul cooperation and strengthening equipment cooperation under the Make in India framework.
“In order to deepen such cooperation, I have instructed the relevant departments to hold discussions and to organise the next Japan-India 2+2 before the end of the year,” she said.
The two leaders also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and a joint declaration covering key issues including economic security, energy resilience, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, green mobility, biogas, and upstream development of oil and gas.
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