India and Japan ink naval pact, seek stronger anti-mine capabilities

DefenseDefense chiefs agree on wide-ranging maritime cooperationIndian defense minister Rajnath Singh, right, and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi on Aug. 20. (Photo from Rajnath Singh's X post)KIRAN SHARMAAugust 20, 2026 21:37 JSTNEW DELHI -- India and Japan on Thursday signed a pact to bolster their maritime security ties and affirmed their commitment to deeper research and development collaboration in state-of-the-art defense technologies.