The India-Japan defense partnership is entering a new phase. The two countries have deepened maritime cooperation for over a decade through regular naval exercises, defense dialogues, logistics agreements, and shared support for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Now the strategic demands of an increasingly contested maritime environment require the partnership to evolve beyond operational cooperation. Recent developments such as the transfer of Japan’s advanced Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) mast technology to the Indian Navy, Japan’s relaxation of its arms exports policy, and discussions on co-developing Mogami-class frigates suggest that the future of India-Japan security cooperation also lies in the shipyards.
This shift reflects broader changes in the Indo-Pacific security landscape. China’s expansionist behavior and its increasing presence in the Indian Ocean have prompted like-minded countries to strengthen both deterrence and defense-industrial resilience. For both India and Japan, the challenge is now about building the industrial capacity needed to sustain long-term maritime power. Defense industrial cooperation, particularly in naval shipbuilding, provides a pathway to achieve that objective.
