This article covers India and Japan's development partnership and sectoral cooperation: Japanese Official Development Assistance, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project, the Act East Forum for India's North-East, and cooperation in defence, science and technology, digital technologies, space and the environment. All information is drawn from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief on India and Japan dated June 2026.

Japanese Official Development Assistance

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, Japan has been extending bilateral loan and grant assistance to India since 1958 and is the largest bilateral donor to India. Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) supports India's efforts for accelerated economic development, particularly in priority areas such as power, transportation, environmental projects and projects related to basic human needs.

Japan's ODA disbursement to India in 2024-25 stood at about JPY 440 billion. At the 14th Annual Summit in March 2022, the two sides exchanged notes concerning seven yen loan projects, under which Japan will provide over JPY 300 billion (USD 2.7 billion) in total.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail

India's first High Speed Rail (HSR) corridor is being implemented from Mumbai to Ahmedabad with technical and financial assistance from Japan. The corridor has a length of 508.17 km, with 12 stations in the States of Maharashtra and Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The project envisages 'Make in India' as well as 'Capacity Development', to enable the Indian workforce to acquire skills relevant to the Japanese Shinkansen HSR technology. It is monitored at apex level by a Joint Committee Meeting (JCM), co-chaired by India's Minister for Railways and the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan.

Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT of India, visited Japan during 22 - 24 December 2024 and held the 18th JCM. The brief states that technical discussions are going on between both sides.

India-Japan Act East Forum

The Act East Forum was established in December 2017 to provide a platform for India-Japan collaboration under India's "Act East Policy" and Japan's "Vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific". It identifies specific projects for the economic modernisation of India's North-East region, including connectivity, developmental infrastructure, industrial linkages and people-to-people contacts. The last meeting of the Forum was convened on 19 February 2024 in New Delhi.

Defence cooperation

The brief describes the India-Japan defence and security partnership as having been on an upward trajectory, with defence exchanges gaining strength in recent years due to growing convergence on strategic matters. All three Indian services hold regular Staff Talks with the Japanese Self Defense Force, and other engagements and exercises, bilateral and multilateral, have been on the rise. The 8th Army to Army Staff Talks were held in Tokyo from 22-24 April 2026.

The brief lists the following defence agreements:

  • Memorandum of Defence Cooperation and Exchanges, signed in 2014
  • Agreement concerning Transfer of Defence Equipment & Technology Cooperation, signed in 2015
  • Agreement concerning Security Measures for Protection of Classified Military information, signed in 2015
  • Implementing Arrangement for Deeper Cooperation between Indian Navy and JMSDF, signed in 2018
  • Agreement concerning Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Indian Armed Forces (RPSS), signed in September 2020

The RPSS was operationalised during MILAN 2022 in March 2022 and has since been used in all exercises and visits by ships, aircraft and contingents.

The brief calls collaboration in defence equipment and technology an important pillar of cooperation. India and Japan are co-developing UNICORN (Unified Complex Radio Antenna) masts for the Indian Navy. A Memorandum of Implementation signed in November 2024 marked the first co-development of defence equipment between the two countries. At the 16th Annual Summit in July 2026, the two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction that an agreement had been reached in principle on the remaining technical details of the project. The Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation made at the 2025 Annual Summit aims to evolve defence and security cooperation to respond to contemporary security challenges.

Science, technology and artificial intelligence

Cooperation in science and technology dates back to 1985, when an inter-governmental agreement was signed. At a meeting between EAM and the then Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in Washington DC in January 2025, 2025-26 was declared the "India-Japan Year of Science, Technology & Innovation Exchanges". Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, addressed several events organised online in Japan.

Recent developments named in the brief include:

  • the establishment of a Joint Institute of Excellence (JIE) by IIT Bombay and Tohoku University at Tohoku in April 2025
  • a third-phase extension, for five years from October 2024, of the Indian Beam Line at KEK Tsukuba for advanced materials research
  • a Joint Statement of Intent signed in 2025 between India's Ministry of Science and Technology and Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), to exchange scientists and researchers and strengthen institutional cooperation with the involvement of start-ups and industries

The 1st India-Japan Strategic AI Dialogue was held on 21st April 2026 in Mumbai. PM Takaichi gave a video message for the AI Impact Summit hosted in New Delhi in February 2026.

Digital partnership and semiconductors

The India-Japan Digital Partnership (IJDP), established in 2018, covers areas such as start-ups and digital talent exchange and has broadened to include semiconductors. A Memorandum of Cooperation on Semiconductor Supply Chains and the launch of a Semiconductor Policy Dialogue, both in 2023, expanded the scope of digital collaboration.

An MoU on India-Japan Digital Partnership 2.0 was signed during the 2025 Annual Summit, to advance collaboration in digital public infrastructure, the development of digital talent and joint R&D in fields such as AI, IoT and semiconductors. The 8th Joint Working Group on ICT was held on 10 October 2025 in Delhi.

Space cooperation

ISRO and JAXA signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in 2016 to pursue cooperative activities in the use and exploration of outer space exclusively for peaceful purposes. Areas of cooperation include space industries and start-ups, global navigation satellite systems, space situational awareness, space-related rules and norms, X-ray astronomy, satellite navigation, lunar exploration and the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF).

The two agencies are cooperating on the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission to explore the moon's south polar region, scheduled for launch in 2026-27. In 2025, an Implementing Arrangement between ISRO and JAXA concerning the Joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission was signed, defining the terms of cooperation on the Chandrayaan 5 mission. The Third Meeting of the Japan-India Space Dialogue was held in April 2025 in Tokyo.

Environment and clean energy

During PM Modi's visit to Japan in October 2018, the two sides signed an MOC on Environmental Cooperation focusing on areas such as Pollution Control, Waste Management, Environmental Technologies and Climate Change. The First India-Japan High Level Policy Dialogue on Environment was held virtually on 7th September 2021 between Mr. Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Mr. Shinjiro Koizumi, then Minister of the Environment of Japan. Preparations for the 2nd High Level Policy Dialogue are under way.

The brief also refers to a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Environment Cooperation, signed in 2018 and renewed in 2025, which provides a framework for collaboration on pollution control, climate change, waste management, sustainable use of biodiversity and environmental technologies. In energy, the India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) was launched at the 14th Annual Summit in March 2022. India's External Affairs Minister participated in the AZEC Plus (Asia Zero Emission Community) online meeting convened by Japan in April 2026.