India and Japan Sign Maritime Security Pact

India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation in New Delhi on 20 August 2026. The pact creates a formal framework for cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in maritime security, operational coordination, and logistics support.

Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation

A memorandum of arrangement is a formal bilateral instrument used by two governments or institutions to define areas of cooperation. In this case, the arrangement covers maritime domain awareness, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and reciprocal support for naval operations.

Areas of Naval Cooperation

The agreement includes information sharing on Maritime Domain Awareness, joint Search and Rescue missions, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. It also provides for regular naval ship visits, joint military exercises, personnel exchanges, and reciprocal logistical support.

India and Japan also agreed to work on under-sea mine countermeasures and to finalise a ship repair arrangement. The two sides discussed joint development in naval shipbuilding and design, with Japanese technical expertise and Indian production capacity under the Make in India framework.

Strategic and Regional Framework

The pact is linked to the concept of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, a regional security framework used in Indo-Pacific diplomacy. India’s MAHASAGAR vision and Japan’s regional security initiatives both refer to maritime stability, secure sea routes, and opposition to unilateral changes in the status quo by force.

Important Facts for Exams

• Maritime Domain Awareness refers to the effective understanding of activities, vessels, and threats in the maritime domain.
• Search and Rescue, or SAR, is a standard naval and coast guard function during maritime emergencies.
• Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, or HADR, is used during cyclones, tsunamis, floods, and other natural disasters.
• Sea Lines of Communication are major maritime routes used for trade, energy transport, and naval movement.

India and Japan are members of the Quad grouping along with the United States and Australia. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is the naval branch of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.