India Strengthens Defense and Economic Ties With Japan and Indonesia

India has rapidly expanded its strategic alliances in the Indo-Pacific through high-level diplomatic engagements with Japan and Indonesia. Narendra Modi concluded a three-day state visit to Indonesia from July 6-8, 2026, where he and President Prabowo Subianto signed 14 agreements. These deals include Indonesia's acquisition of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles, as well as joint port development linking Sabang and the Great Nicobar Islands to enhance maritime security.

Simultaneously, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited India to integrate the nation into Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision. The two countries agreed to co-develop a naval radio antenna based on Japan's UNICORN system and signed nearly 120 private-sector memorandums of understanding focused on semiconductors, green ammonia, and energy resilience. This alignment includes the POWERR Asia initiative and efforts to build industrial value chains in the Bay of Bengal to compete with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Both Japan and India are pursuing these partnerships to diversify critical mineral supply chains and reduce dependence on China. The strategic shift is further accelerated by perceived instability in U.S. commitments under President Donald Trump, who has distanced the United States from the Quadrilateral Security Initiative and renamed the Indo-Pacific Command to the Pacific Command.