India, Japan sign pacts on AI, metals and energy after Modi-Takaichi talks

July 2, 2026 4:18 AM EDT

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi attend a joint press statement at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, July 2, 2026. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain

NEW DELHI, July 2 (Reuters) - India ‌and Japan agreed ​on Thursday ​to boost cooperation in artificial intelligence, metals, energy and defence as well as prepare a joint roadmap for economic security, as the Asian nations sought ‌to further strengthen their ties.

The agreements were signed after talks between Indian ⁠Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, who is on a three-day visit to New Delhi.

"Japan and ‌India will leverage each other's ‌strengths to grow strong and prosperous together," Takaichi told reporters after the talks. "Amid a turbulent international landscape, building such a mutually complementary cooperative relationship has become increasingly important."

Her ​visit follows a trip by Modi to Tokyo last year, when Japan pledged to more than double its investment in India to more than $61 billion over the next ⁠decade, highlighting deepening economic ties.

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $27.5 billion in fiscal year 2025/26, while Japanese investment in ​India was $3.2 billion between April and December 2025, according to Indian government data.

FIRST DEFENCE CO-DEVELOPMENT PACT

The two leaders held "wide-ranging talks on the full ​spectrum of India-Japan ties, including trade and investment, economic ‌security, energy, emerging technologies, defence and people-to-people exchanges", the Indian foreign ministry said.

Both sides adopted three "landmark" documents on economic security, energy resilience and ⁠AI, it added.

"The convergence of Japan's precision technology and India's software capabilities will give a new momentum and strength to global AI development," Modi told reporters.

Neither prime minister took questions.

Modi said the two ⁠countries, which are also members of the Quad grouping, signed an agreement on their first co-development project ​in the defence sector. Australia and the U.S. are the other two members of the Quad grouping, which is widely seen as a bloc formed to counter China's rising influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Japan is ‌among India's largest investors, backing major infrastructure projects including a high-speed rail corridor between the cities of 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.

Takaichi is accompanied by a ‌large business delegation and is ​due to speak at a business conference later on Thursday.

(Reporting by Tanvi Mehta, Saurabh Sharma and Hritam Mukherjee; Writing by YP Rajesh; Editing by ‌Raju Gopalakrishnan)



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