Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a ceremonial reception held at India's presidential palace, Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on July 2, 2026.
Dr Rupakjyoti Borah
The recent visit by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to India came at a moment when the politics of the Indo‑Pacific appear to be in flux, especially amid rising tensions in the Middle East between the US and Iran.
With Washington increasingly tied down by its involvement in the Middle East, as well as in “its hemisphere” through aggression against Venezuela and threats against Cuba, observers on the other side of the globe are questioning what role the US can still play in an evolving Indo‑Pacific landscape – whether in the Taiwan Strait or the Strait of Malacca.
Relations between India and Japan have picked up ever since the then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori paid a visit to India back in 2000. Ties improved particularly during the term of Shinzo Abe, who was a big friend of India and was also the longest-serving prime minister of Japan.
