Partners in tech, trade: India-Japan ties amid global disruptions, Pg17

Key Highlights:

• Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is on her first visit to India for the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit.
• The visit focuses on boosting trade, investment, and strategic cooperation between the two nations.
• Japan is a significant investor in India, with 1,400 Japanese companies operating, nearly half in manufacturing.
• Bilateral trade reached $27.5 billion in 2025-26, with Japanese investment at $3.2 billion between April and December 2025.
• The partnership serves as a strategic and economic counterweight to China's growing regional dominance.

Detailed Insights:

• The India-Japan Annual Summit mechanism was established in 2006 for annual prime ministerial meetings.
• Discussions will include security cooperation and efforts to advance a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
• Both India and Japan are members of the Quad grouping, alongside the US and Australia, enhancing defense collaboration.
• The relationship was elevated to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014.
• Cooperation extends to economic security, critical minerals, semiconductor supply chains, and Artificial Intelligence.
• The India-Japan Act East Forum is a dedicated institutional mechanism for North-East India's development.
• Key pillars of cooperation include economy, economic security, mobility, environment, technology, healthcare, people-to-people exchanges, and state-prefecture engagement.

Key Concepts Involved:

• India-Japan Annual Summit: An annual meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Japan to discuss bilateral cooperation.
• Quad: A strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, focusing on regional stability.
• Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP): A vision promoting a rules-based order, freedom of navigation, and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Special Strategic and Global Partnership: The highest level of bilateral relationship between India and Japan, established in 2014.
• India-Japan Act East Forum: A platform for enhancing connectivity and development projects in India's North-Eastern region.