This article outlines the diplomatic relationship between India and Japan: how relations were established and upgraded, summits and other high-level visits, the dialogue mechanisms between the two governments, and parliamentary exchanges. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief on India and Japan, which is stated to be as on 30th June, 2026.

Establishment of diplomatic relations

After the Second World War, India did not attend the San Francisco Conference. It decided instead to conclude a separate Peace Treaty with Japan on 28 April 1952, which the brief identifies as the beginning of diplomatic relations.

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, India and Japan have shared a 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' since 2014. The brief describes the modern partnership as covering political, defence and security, economic, science and technology, education, cultural and people-to-people exchange.

The brief also notes synergy between India's Act East Policy, the principle of MAHASAGAR and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and Japan's vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), which it says leads to strategic convergence.

How the partnership was upgraded

In the first decade after diplomatic ties were established, high-level exchanges included visits to India by Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and by Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko, and visits to Japan by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President Rajendra Prasad.

The relationship was elevated to a 'Global Partnership' in 2000 and to a 'Strategic and Global Partnership' in 2006. It became a 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' in 2014, during PM Modi's first Annual Summit with Japan. Regular Annual Summits have been held between the two countries since 2006.

Landmark visits

In 2013, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited India, the first visit by an enthroned Emperor. PM Shinzo Abe, during his visit to India in 2007, delivered the speech "The Confluence of Two Seas" in the Indian parliament, which proposed linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans. He was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations in 2014 and was conferred the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, in 2021.

President Ram Nath Kovind visited Japan in October 2019 to attend the Enthronement Ceremony of the Emperor of Japan, His Majesty Naruhito.

The brief records that PM Modi has visited Japan eight times since 2014:

  • for the Annual Summits in 2014, 2016 and 2018
  • for the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019
  • for the Quad Tokyo Summit and the funeral of former PM Shinzo Abe, both in 2022
  • for the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May 2023, when he unveiled a Mahatma Gandhi statue near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
  • for the 15th Annual Summit in August 2025

Recent summits and leaders' meetings

15th Annual Summit, Tokyo, August 2025

The 15th Annual Summit was held in Tokyo on 29-30 August 2025 with the then Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, during PM Modi's visit to Japan. The brief lists the following among its major outcomes:

  • a document on Joint Vision for the next Decade
  • a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation
  • an Action plan on Human Resource Exchange
  • the launch of initiatives including the Economic Security Initiative, the Next Generation Mobility Partnership and the Artificial Intelligence Initiative
  • MoUs in sectors such as clean energy, critical minerals, digital technologies, space, cultural exchanges and environment

Apart from the Summit, PM Modi's programme included an address by both Prime Ministers to the India-Japan Economic Forum (IJEF), and calls on PM Modi by former Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida and by the Speaker of the Japanese Diet, Fukushiro Nukaga. It also included an interaction with Governors of 16 Japanese prefectures and a visit by both leaders to the Tokyo Electron Factory in Sendai.

Earlier summits and visits

The 14th Annual Summit was held on 19-20 March 2022, when PM Kishida paid an official visit to India. The two sides agreed on a joint statement titled "Partnership for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Post-COVID World".

On 23 March 2023, the then Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Fumio Kishida, visited India and held a bilateral meeting with PM Modi. He delivered a policy speech titled "Japan's New Plan for a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' - 'Together with India, as an Indispensable Partner'" at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). PM Kishida visited India again on 9-10 September 2023 for the G20 Summit and met PM Modi.

Contacts with PM Sanae Takaichi

In a telephone call on 29 October 2025, PM Modi congratulated PM Sanae Takaichi on assuming office. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 23 November 2025. They met again briefly on 17 June 2026 in Évian-les-Bains, France, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. PM Takaichi paid an Official Visit to India from 1-3 July 2026 for the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, her first official visit to India, and invited PM Modi to visit Japan next year for the 17th Annual Summit.

Foreign ministers and senior officials

The brief records a visit to India by Japanese Foreign Minister Mr. Toshimitsu Motegi from 25 to 27 May, without stating the year, to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting. He held a bilateral meeting with India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) and paid a courtesy call on PM Modi. Other contacts between the two foreign ministers listed in the brief are:

  • a meeting on 27 October 2025 in Malaysia, on the sidelines of ASEAN-related Summit meetings
  • the 18th round of the Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue, held in New Delhi on 16 January 2026
  • a telephone conversation on 10 April 2026 on the West Asia situation and the Strait of Hormuz

The latest round of Foreign Office Consultations between India's Foreign Secretary and Japan's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs took place on 11 May 2026, during the Vice Minister's visit to India.

Among other ministerial visits, the Minister of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh visited Japan in July 2025 and the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Puri visited Japan in November 2025. From the Japanese side, Kimi Onoda, Minister in charge of Economic Security and Minister of State for Science, Technology, and AI Strategy, visited Delhi in early May 2026. The Japanese minister met India's Minister of State for Science and Technology, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines and the Foreign Secretary, and co-chaired the 3rd India-Japan Joint Committee Meeting on Healthcare with Shri J.P. Nadda, Minister for Health & Family Welfare of India.

Dialogue mechanisms

The brief describes India-Japan relations as highly institutionalised, with more than 70 bilateral dialogue mechanisms. They cover sectors such as space, cyber security, policy planning, civil nuclear cooperation, energy, healthcare, steel, logistics, transport, roads and road transportation, railways, MSME, food processing, automotive industry, finance, urban development, electricity, shipping and semiconductors.

India and Japan have instituted a 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting since 2018. Three rounds have been held so far: in Delhi in 2019, in Tokyo in 2022, and in Delhi on 20 August 2024.

The last Defence Ministerial Meeting was held on 5 May 2025 in New Delhi. The 5th round of the NSA-level dialogue was held in November 2019 in New Delhi, and the 3rd Deputy National Security Advisors meeting in November 2024, also in New Delhi.

Parliamentary exchanges

According to the brief, exchanges between parliamentarians have been a regular feature since 2016. The former Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, Mr. Nukaga Fukushiro, visited India with a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians and business leaders and met PM Modi on 01 August 2024. He visited India again from 01-05 May 2025, held meetings with the Lok Sabha Speaker and the External Affairs Minister, and travelled to Assam for meetings with state government officials.

A delegation of Members of the Indian Parliament headed by Mr. Arun Singh, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, visited Japan in February 2025. Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, an All-Party Parliamentary Delegation led by MP Sanjay Kumar Jha visited Tokyo in May 2025. It met former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga and the then Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

MPs Mr. Tejasvi Surya, Mr. Manish Tewari and Mr. Richard Vanlalhmangaiha visited Japan from 2-7 March 2026 to participate in the CII-Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) Program. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s Policy Research Council Chairperson, Takayuki Kobayashi, visited Delhi in May 2026 and met separately with the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Foreign Secretary.