India and Japan Sign First Joint Defense Project at 16th Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi convened the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi from July 1 to 3, 2026. The leaders established a new phase of their Special Strategic and Global Partnership, highlighted by the signing of the first-ever joint defense co-development project for the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN). This project aims to enhance the stealth and secure communications of Indian Navy warships.

The summit produced a 16-point roadmap and three landmark documents focusing on economic security, energy resilience, and artificial intelligence. Key economic agreements include a goal to attract 10 trillion yen (approximately $62 billion) in Japanese investment over the next decade and the launch of a biogas initiative to establish 1,000 plants across India. The leaders also virtually inaugurated a Rs 35,000 crore Maruti Suzuki manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda, Haryana.

Strategically, the two nations aligned Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision with India's MAHASAGAR framework to counter regional instability and reduce dependence on China for semiconductors and critical minerals. They agreed to hold a 2+2 ministerial meeting by the end of 2026 and designated 2027 as the India-Japan Year of Shared Horizons to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The visit concluded with personal gestures of trust, with the leaders describing their relationship in familial terms as brother and sister.