India and Japan explore collaboration in critical technologies and defence equipment

On Thursday, India and Japan engaged in discussions to explore potential collaboration in critical and emerging technologies like semiconductors and also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in defense equipment and technology. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, highlighted the importance of a strong and enduring partnership between their nations to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. They also emphasized achieving the target of five trillion Yen Japanese investment in India between 2022 and 2027.

The talks covered various domains, including political, defense, economic, connectivity, critical technology, and people-to-people exchanges. They also exchanged views on counter-terrorism, non-proliferation, Indo-Pacific issues, and the G20. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen their special strategic and global partnership and explored areas of collaboration in critical technologies, resilient supply chains, and digital public infrastructure.

The ministers expressed satisfaction with the strengthening of defense and security cooperation and discussed ways to deepen defense equipment and technology collaboration. They also discussed regional and global issues, emphasizing their crucial role in promoting a rules-based Indo-Pacific region. The two ministers also addressed cooperation under multilateral and plurilateral frameworks, including the Quad, and agreed on the need for early reforms of the UNSC.

People-to-people exchanges and promoting the movement of skilled human resources from India to Japan were acknowledged as important aspects of bilateral relations. The meeting further enhanced bilateral cooperation and laid the foundation for increased collaboration on regional and global issues. It was the second visit to India by Yoshimasa Hayashi in the last five months, and both countries continue to synergize their efforts to address global challenges under India’s G20 presidency and Japan’s leadership of the G7 advanced economies.