India, Japan eye warship building and design-manufacturing synergy

New Delhi: India and Japan are looking forward to expanding cooperation in the maritime sector, with warship building, mine countermeasures and ship repairs identified as key areas for collaboration.

In a meeting between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in the capital, the two sides decided to move ahead on defence cooperation, keeping in mind the joint commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Singh welcomed Japan's recent review of its framework for the transfer of defence equipment and technology and said he expected it would lead to future joint projects.


During the visit, which included a tour of naval facilities in Mumbai, a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation was also signed between the defence ministries of India and Japan.

"The memorandum provides a framework for further advancing cooperation between the two countries in maritime security," said a joint statement released after the meeting. "It includes the strengthening of cooperation between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy, including information sharing in Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), as well as enhanced cooperation in areas such as Search and Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)."

On technical cooperation, the two sides agreed they need to maximise synergies to enhance mine countermeasures and explore joint development in naval shipbuilding and design by leveraging Japan's technological expertise and India's production capabilities.

"The two leaders shared the view that both sides should leverage each other's strengths in the field of defence shipbuilding and deepen discussions on Japan's use of India's production capabilities," said an official.

The idea, according to officials, is to integrate Japan's design capabilities with India's large-scale manufacturing at low costs to develop platforms that can be used by the two nations and also be used for exports to friendly foreign nations.

Progress is also expected soon on a reciprocal provision of ship repair facilities.

The two sides will also form a working group, headed by a director general or joint secretary-level official, to advance cooperation across the operational, intelligence, equipment, technology and industrial domains. A defence industry forum is expected to be organised soon.

On geopolitical affairs, the two sides expressed their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that impede freedom and safety of navigation and overflight, as well as to any attempts to change the status-quo by force or coercion.