India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue (International Relations)
India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue (International Relations)
Why In News:
India and Japan held their 8th Defence Policy Dialogue in Tokyo on 13 July 2026, co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Japanese Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Kano Koji.
India-Japan Defence Relationship
India and Japan elevated ties to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014; annual Summit level meetings and a 2+2 Dialogue of Foreign and Defence Ministers since 2019.
Key bilateral exercises include Dharma Guardian (Army), JIMEX (Navy) and Shinyuu Maitri (Air Force, held trilaterally with a partner country).
The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) between India and Japan enables reciprocal logistics support between the two armed forces.
India's Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific
The Act East Policy (2014) upgraded India's earlier Look East Policy (1991), extending India's strategic and economic engagement from Southeast Asia to the wider Indo-Pacific and East Asia.
India's vision for the Indo-Pacific rests on SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region, 2015).
Key Indo-Pacific groupings India is part of include the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) with the US, Japan and Australia, the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), and the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) of 14 members.
ASEAN remains central to India's Act East policy through the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area and the East Asia Summit.
Key Facts for Prelims
About 60% of global maritime trade and a large share of global energy shipments transit the Indo-Pacific region.
The MALABAR Exercise is a quadrilateral naval exercise involving India, the US, Japan, and Australia, distinct from the Quad's political dialogue track.
The India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) governs bilateral trade and predates the strategic partnership upgrade.