External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated on Wednesday that the collaboration between Japan and India improves strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific at a time when maintaining the region's freedom and openness has grown increasingly difficult.
He stated at the India-Japan Indo-Pacific Forum, which was organised by the Delhi Policy Group and Japan Institute of International Affairs, that India and Japan have a "larger responsibility" to the Indo-Pacific as major democracies and maritime nations. They must strengthen supply chains and invest in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and vital minerals.
Jaishankar's comments were made in the context of severe tensions between the US and India over the Trump administration's trade and tariff policies, as well as uncertainties surrounding the Quad Summit, which brings together the presidents of the US, Australia, Japan, and India.

According to Jaishankar, the India-Japan alliance has grown over the last few decades and "serves to enhance strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and contribute to the economic one at a global level." He continued, "Maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific is a stronger imperative but also a more complex challenge."
In the future, he stated, "the India-Japan partnership must focus on leveraging our strengths, bolstering our supply chains, and investing in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals, clean energy, and space."
The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, where Japan co-leads the pillar for marine trade, transportation, and connectivity, has the potential to advance contributions, he said, pointing to the two nations' greater duty to the Indo-Pacific.

As evidenced by the growing cooperation in a number of areas, the India-Japan partnership also adapts to the shifting global landscape. The importance that both parties place on their relationship is demonstrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent phone call with his Japanese colleague, Sanae Takaichi, as soon as she took office.
Eight core pillars and an investment objective of 10 trillion yen over the next ten years serve as "useful metrics to assess our ambition," according to Modi's August visit to Japan, which resulted in a shared vision for ties over the next ten years. He went on to say that the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation is notable for "raising the level of our aspirations in defence and security."

As instances of a changing modern agenda, Jaishankar also highlighted new projects including the Next Generation Mobility Partnership, Economic Security Initiative, Joint Crediting Mechanism, Joint Declaration on Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia, and an MoU in the area of mineral resources.
The action plan for human resource collaboration and exchange will enhance interpersonal interactions. "When taken as a whole, these initiatives reaffirm the strategic and comprehensive nature of our ties," he stated.