India, Japan sign maritime security pact to deepen defence cooperation
India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Arrangement (MoA) on Maritime Security Cooperation between the two defence ministries during bilateral talks in New Delhi
The MoA establishes a structured framework for cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), covering maritime domain awareness information-sharing and search-and-rescue coordination
Both sides agreed to strengthen protection of sea lines of communication through mutual naval ship visits, joint exercises, personnel exchanges, and logistical support including use of ports and repair facilities
The two sides also agreed to enhance capabilities to counter undersea mines and explore joint development in naval shipbuilding and design, combining Japan's technology with India's production base
The bilateral talks welcomed Japan's recent review of its framework governing transfer of defence equipment and technology
Japan's Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology (2014, revised 2023)
Japan maintained a near-total, self-imposed ban on arms exports from 1967 under the "Three Principles on Arms Exports." In April 2014, the government replaced this with the "Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology," permitting exports in specific cases — international cooperation, peace contribution, and Japan's own security — subject to case-by-case government approval. In December 2023, the principles and their implementation guidelines were further revised, expanding the scope for transferring lethal, jointly-developed equipment to partner countries.
Key Details
- 1967 Three Principles on Arms Exports: de facto export ban (from communist bloc, UN-sanctioned states, or conflict parties), later interpreted as a blanket ban
- 2014 revision: replaced the ban with case-by-case approval anchored in Japan's National Security Strategy
- December 2023 revision: eased restrictions further, permitting export of jointly-developed lethal equipment (e.g., a Japan-UK-Italy fighter jet) to third countries under conditions
- Reviewed under Japan's 2022 National Security Strategy, which also raised defence spending toward 2% of GDP
The maritime security MoA and talk of "joint development in naval shipbuilding and design" are only possible because of Japan's loosened technology-transfer regime; India welcoming this review signals expectation of deeper defence-industrial collaboration, not just diplomatic coordination.
India-Japan Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), 2020
ACSA is a reciprocal logistics-support pact allowing the armed forces of India and Japan to use each other's bases and facilities for refuelling, provisions, and repair during exercises, disaster relief, and UN peacekeeping operations. It does not permit transfer of weapons or lethal equipment — it is a logistics-only agreement, distinguished from a full military alliance.
Key Details
- Signed in September 2020 during a virtual summit
- Covers supplies and services: food, water, transport, fuel, clothing, communications, medical support
- With ACSA, India completed logistics-sharing agreements with all three other Quad members (the US LEMOA 2016, Australia MLSA 2020, and Japan ACSA 2020)
- Complements — but is distinct from — the new Maritime Security Cooperation MoA, which focuses on information-sharing and coordination rather than logistics access
The new maritime MoA builds on the ACSA framework, extending India-Japan defence ties from logistics access to structured maritime domain awareness sharing and joint anti-mine and shipbuilding cooperation.
India-Japan "2+2" Ministerial Dialogue and the Indo-Pacific/Quad Framework
The "2+2" format brings together the foreign and defence ministers of both countries and is the apex institutional mechanism for security dialogue; India currently holds this format only with a small set of key partners (US, Japan, Australia, Russia). It sits within the broader Quad framework (India, US, Japan, Australia), revived in 2017, which coordinates on a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific."
Key Details
- The Malabar naval exercise, originally bilateral India-US, added Japan as a permanent member in 2015 and Australia in 2020, making it a de facto Quad exercise
- The 2+2 format is distinct from a standalone bilateral defence ministers' meeting; the maritime security MoA emerged from bilateral defence-minister-level talks alongside the broader 2+2 architecture
- India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI, 2019) has a "Maritime Security" pillar that Japan co-leads
The bilateral MoA operationalises the maritime-security pillar of the India-Japan strategic partnership that is periodically reviewed at the 2+2 and Quad levels, reinforcing sea-lane security amid concerns over freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
- The Memorandum of Arrangement covers information-sharing on maritime domain awareness and search-and-rescue between the Indian Navy and JMSDF
- ACSA (logistics-sharing pact) was signed in September 2020; India now has such agreements with all Quad partners
- Japan's Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology were adopted in April 2014 (replacing the 1967 arms-export ban) and revised in December 2023
- Malabar exercise: Japan became a permanent participant in 2015; Australia joined in 2020, making it a four-nation (Quad) naval exercise