India-Japan Defence Ties: Joint Naval Shipbuilding And Design Plan Announced

India and Japan will examine opportunities for joint development in naval shipbuilding and design. The partnership will combine Japan’s technological expertise with India’s manufacturing strengths under their respective policies.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the initiative after their bilateral meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. The two sides discussed Japan’s use of Indian production facilities under the ‘Make in India’ framework.

The move comes as India seeks to expand its naval and commercial shipbuilding capacity.

The country plans new shipyards and aims to build five per cent of the global fleet by 2035. It aims to secure a place among the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047.

Japan currently ranks third globally, with nearly 11 per cent of the shipbuilding market.

The Ministers signed a Memorandum of Arrangement to deepen maritime security cooperation.

The framework covers stronger coordination between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It includes Maritime Domain Awareness, information sharing, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Both sides will strengthen sea-line protection through naval visits, joint drills, personnel exchanges and logistical support. This includes access to ports and repair facilities.

The Ministers agreed to accelerate practical cooperation and strengthen mine-countermeasure capabilities. They discussed reciprocal ship-repair facilities and a future ship-repair arrangement.

Both nations welcomed expanding military exercises, including Dharma Guardian and JAIMEX. They noted progress on Veer Guardian 26, where Japanese fighter aircraft will visit India for the first time.

The sides will deepen exercises through greater complexity, unmanned-system integration and short-notice drills.

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