India, Japan Sign First Defence Co-development Pact at 16th Annual Summit

India and Japan signed their first-ever defence co-development project during the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi on 2nd July, 2026, with PM Narendra Modi making the announcement personally. The landmark deal marks a clear shift in how both nations approach bilateral security, moving from dialogue to joint action. The summit also produced 120 new business agreements, a joint energy and economic security roadmap, and the launch of a new biogas initiative.

India-Japan First Defence Co-development Project

This is the first time India and Japan have formally committed to jointly developing defence technologies. Modi framed it around three priorities: regional peace, maritime security, and upholding a rules-based international order. The timing isn't accidental either; both countries are navigating growing security pressures across the Indo-Pacific, and this pact signals a deeper, more structured response to those challenges.

India-Japan Economic and Investment Targets

1. On the economic side, PM Modi set an ambitious target of 10 trillion yen in Japanese investment into India over the next decade. That's aimed squarely at manufacturing, infrastructure, and technology.
2. The two sides have also drawn up a joint roadmap on energy and economic security, with a focus on building resilient supply chains in semiconductors and quantum technologies and expanding collaboration in emerging tech sectors.

India-Japan Biogas Initiative Under Govardhan Pahal

A quieter but meaningful announcement came with the launch of the India-Japan Biogas Initiative under the Govardhan Pahal program. It's designed to support biogas plant development across India, touching rural livelihoods, clean energy, and sustainability goals all at once, while giving both nations another thread of green economy cooperation to build on.

Read More - 16th India-Japan Annual Summit Starts in New Delhi