India and Japan on Thursday unveiled an ambitious 16-point strategic roadmap aimed at significantly expanding cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, economic security, clean energy, mobility, pharmaceuticals and research, following high-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the latter’s official visit to India.
The wide-ranging outcomes, announced after the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, are intended to strengthen the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries while enhancing India’s technological capabilities, supply-chain resilience and long-term strategic autonomy.
A key highlight of the summit was the adoption of a Joint Declaration on Economic Security, under which both countries agreed to deepen cooperation in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, clean energy and pharmaceutical supply chains. The declaration reflects a shared commitment to building trusted and resilient supply chains amid growing global geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
India and Japan also agreed to launch an expanded framework for cooperation in artificial intelligence, focusing on research and development partnerships, resilient digital infrastructure, industry-academia collaboration, talent mobility and advanced AI applications.
Among the major announcements was a series of Memoranda of Understanding involving the IndiaAI Mission, IIT Bombay’s BharatGen initiative, SarvamAI, Japan’s RIKEN research institute and the National Institute of Informatics (NII). These partnerships are expected to facilitate researcher exchanges, greater access to AI computing infrastructure, development of large language models and scientific reasoning capabilities, besides strengthening AI skills and innovation ecosystems.
The two countries also announced new initiatives to strengthen energy resilience through strategic stockpiling, secure maritime energy transportation and long-term energy cooperation.
Recognising the growing importance of electric mobility, India and Japan agreed to collaborate on battery manufacturing, with Japanese investment and advanced technology expected to support India’s rapidly expanding electric vehicle ecosystem.
The leaders also agreed to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals and medical devices by promoting joint research, business-to-business partnerships, technology collaboration and resilient supply chains for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials.
Another important pillar of the partnership focuses on critical minerals and geological cooperation, with both countries seeking to enhance upstream exploration capabilities and secure long-term access to strategic mineral resources essential for high-technology manufacturing.
The summit also witnessed agreements on promoting Compressed Biogas (CBG) through rural clean-energy initiatives that will support organic fertiliser production and carbon-credit generation.
To commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2027, the two Prime Ministers declared the year as the “India-Japan Year of Shared Horizons”, with a series of youth, business, academic, cultural and sports exchanges planned to deepen people-to-people ties.
The leaders also announced a Next-Generation Mobility Partnership covering railways, urban transportation, ports, aviation and logistics while promoting the “Make in India for the World” initiative to strengthen India’s manufacturing capabilities.
Additional agreements covered cooperation on internet governance through collaboration between the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and the Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC), regulatory cooperation in fintech between the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and the Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA), and expanded partnerships in biotechnology and life sciences research.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the package of agreements reflects the growing convergence between India and Japan on technology, innovation and economic security, while reinforcing their commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
The two leaders reaffirmed that their partnership would continue to serve as a pillar of stability in the Indo-Pacific and contribute to building trusted global supply chains, fostering innovation-led growth and addressing shared global challenges through closer strategic cooperation.