Underlining that she intends to deepen her country’s strategic ties with India in this time of “growing uncertainty in the international situation”, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reached New Delhi Wednesday evening on a three-day visit, her first to India after entering office last year.
Soon after Takaichi’s arrival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said, “We are delighted to host you on your first visit to India and I look forward to our wide-ranging discussions tomorrow that will further deepen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.”
“Through our joint efforts, we will continue to advance peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Modi said.
Japan PM Sanae Takaichi (left) was received by MoS Dr Jitendra Singh. (Photo: X/@MEAIndia)
Received at Delhi airport by Minister of State Jitendra Singh, Takaichi said, “In discussions with Prime Minister Modi, centering on urgent issues including economic security and energy security, we will aim to deepen the strategic cooperative relationship between Japan and India in light of the current international situation, promote mutually complementary cooperation, and further strengthen the Japan-India ‘Special Strategic Global Partnership’.”
With economic security as the overarching theme, Takaichi’s visit is expected to boost investment and innovation opportunities, and help build resilient supply chains in areas such as semiconductors and critical minerals.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Takaichi will take part in the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, a mechanism established in 2006 under which the Prime Ministers of the two countries meet annually.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visit will “strengthen relations with India, which is of utmost importance for the realisation of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific”. Delhi and Tokyo share a deep strategic convergence on a free and open Indo-Pacific, driven by mutual interests amid China’s growing assertions in the region.
Speaking at an informal press conference in Tokyo before leaving for Delhi, Takaichi said she intends to “advance concrete cooperation” with Modi.
“At a time when the international situation is becoming increasingly uncertain, cooperation with India, which shares fundamental values and strategic interests with Japan, is becoming more important than ever,” she said, according to the Japanese PMO.
“Through this visit, I hope to advance concrete cooperation with Prime Minister Modi in three key areas: deepening the Japan-India strategic partnership in light of the current international situation; promoting cooperation in economic security; and strengthening collaboration between businesses of our two countries in investment and innovation,” she said.
Diplomatic sources said the focus during Takaichi’s visit will also be on boosting maritime security, defence technology cooperation, and developing an ‘Industrial Value Chain’ connecting the Bay of Bengal with North-East India.
India and Japan are also expected to make progress on energy security and in tackling supply chain disruptions in the wake of the West Asia crisis.
The summit follows Modi’s visit to Tokyo in August 2025 for the 15th edition, during which the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation across strategic, economic, technological and security domains.
A large business delegation is accompanying Takaichi, and the two Prime Ministers will also attend business events with executives from both countries. According to government statistics, around 1,400 Japanese companies operate in India, with nearly half of them in the manufacturing sector.
Japan is among India’s largest investors, backing major infrastructure projects including a high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Japanese firms have also increased investments in Indian companies, including a recent $1.6 billion deal for a 20% stake in Yes Bank.
A Japan-India Economic Forum is also scheduled after delegation-level talks between the two sides Thursday, with the participation of more than 150 individuals from Japan’s business community.
“Working together with the private sector, I hope to broaden the scope of Japan-India cooperation and realize a strong economy,” Takaichi said.
Her visit, sources said, aims to boost economic growth through investment and innovation. The focus will be on strengthening economic security. Bilateral trade touched $27.5 billion in 2025-26, with Japanese investment in India going up to $3.2 billion between April and December 2025.
Expected outcome documents include a joint statement on the annual summit, energy resilience, and MoUs covering sectors like AI, pharmaceuticals, batteries and critical minerals.
Emphasising the strategic significance of the bilateral partnership, Takaichi said both India and Japan, as major democratic nations in Asia, share the responsibility of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“India, along with Japan, is one of Asia’s leading democracies and shares responsibility to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Against this backdrop, I look forward to having thorough discussions with Prime Minister Modi on efforts to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), including cooperation through the Quad framework,” she said.
A special partnership
India and Japan upgraded their ties to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan last year, the two sides had charted a roadmap for the next decade, raising the Japanese investment target in India to 10 trillion yen, launching initiatives on economic security cooperation, digital partnership and AI, and a new mobility partnership.
Japan PM Sanae Takaichi lands in New Delhi. (Photo: X/@MEAIndia) 
Japan PM Sanae Takaichi (left) was received by MoS Dr Jitendra Singh. (Photo: X/@MEAIndia)
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