As US attention drifts, India and Japan move closer

As US attention drifts, India and Japan move closer

Economic logic and geopolitical unease are pushing Tokyo and New Delhi into closer alignment as Washington sends mixed signals across Asia
The by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to India came at a moment when the politics of the Indo‑Pacific appear to be in flux, especially amid rising tensions in the Middle East between the US and Iran.
With Washington increasingly tied down by its involvement in the Middle East, as well as in its hemisphere through aggression against Venezuela and threats against Cuba, observers on the other side of the globe are questioning what role the US can still play in an evolving Indo‑Pacific landscape – whether in the Taiwan Strait or the Strait of Malacca.
Relations between India and Japan have picked up ever since the then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori paid a visit to India back in 2000. Ties improved particularly during the term of Shinzo Abe, who was a big friend of India and was also the longest serving prime minister of Japan.
To understand Tokyo’s outlook towards ties with New Delhi we need to take a closer look at the current economic and political landscape in and around Japan.
Takaichi has been reaching out to a range of countries ever since taking office as prime minister in October 2025. New Delhi holds a prominent place in Japanese foreign policy, both politically and economically. At the same time, Japan’s trade ties with China appear to have run into difficulties amid rising political tensions, especially given that Takaichi is seen as a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was widely regarded as a hardliner on China.
Takaichi ran into trouble with China early in her term when, during a meeting in the lower house of Japan’s Diet in November last year, she said that if China were to impose a naval blockade on Taiwan, it would amount to a survival-threatening situation and could prompt Japan to exercise its right of collective self-defense. The remark drew strong protests from Beijing.
In addition, profit margins for Japanese companies in China are shrinking rapidly because of tighter regulations, rising competition from domestic firms and higher wages. By contrast, India – with its population of 1.4 billion and its vast youth demographic – fits the bill, especially as Japan’s own population continues to shrink rapidly.
Economic drivers Japan has played a critical role in India’s infrastructure development. One of the flagship projects is the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high‑speed rail corridor, modelled on Japan’s famed Shinkansen system. As New Delhi plans to roll out a series of high‑speed rail corridors, Japanese technology and support will remain crucial.
India is a very important market for Japan’s high‑speed rail sector, especially after countries such as Indonesia chose an Indonesian–Chinese consortium over Japanese bidders for the Jakarta–Bandung high‑speed railway. It is also worth noting that both India and Japan have stayed out of the China‑led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Another important reason for Takaichi’s visit to India was to advance a deal on the exploration of critical minerals, especially after China imposed restrictions on exports of such materials to Japan. The issued at the end of the visit noted the two sides reiterated their grave concerns over the use of economic coercion and non-market policies and practices, including arbitrary export restrictions that may lead to supply chain disruptions, particularly in critical minerals and critical industrial sectors, and price manipulation.
At the summit, the two countries agreed to advance cooperation based on three priority areas: defense and security cooperation; economic partnership; and people-to-people exchanges.
In what can be seen as a dig at Beijing and its activities in the region, the two sides expressed serious concern over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China