India and Japan on Thursday agreed to expand collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI), critical minerals, energy and defence, while also drawing up a joint roadmap on economic security to further strengthen bilateral ties.
The agreements were reached after talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is on a three-day official visit to New Delhi, reports Reuters.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Takaichi said the two countries would combine their respective strengths to foster shared growth and prosperity.
She said closer cooperation had become increasingly important amid growing global uncertainty.
The visit comes a year after Modi travelled to Tokyo, where Japan pledged to increase its investment in India to more than $61 billion over the next decade, underscoring the expanding economic partnership.
According to Indian government data, bilateral trade stood at $27.5 billion in the 2025/26 fiscal year, while Japanese investment in India reached $3.2 billion between April and December 2025.
India's foreign ministry said the leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, including trade, investment, economic security, energy, emerging technologies, defence and people-to-people exchanges.
The two sides also adopted three key agreements covering economic security, energy resilience and AI.
Modi said Japan's expertise in precision technology, combined with India's strengths in software, would help accelerate global AI development.
He also announced that India and Japan had signed their first agreement on a joint defence co-development project.
The two countries are members of the Quad, along with the United States and Australia, a strategic grouping widely seen as promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific amid China's growing influence.
Japan is one of India's biggest foreign investors, supporting major infrastructure projects such as the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail line. Japanese firms have also stepped up investments in Indian companies, including a recent $1.6 billion purchase of a 20% stake in Yes Bank.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to depart for Japan on Friday.
