Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Sanae Takaichi becoming the first female prime minister of Japan is indeed a welcome augury for the country. It is also an opportune time to analyze what lies in store for Japan-India relations under the new Takaichi administration.
She already seems to have taken like a duck to the water when it comes to the diplomatic front. From attending the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia to hosting United States President Donald Trump in Japan, and thereafter taking part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in South Korea, she represented Japan well.
What Is In It for India?
Takaichi is a protégé of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. And, as we all know, former PM Abe was a big friend of India, right from his first term in office. While Takaichi may not be exactly like Shinzo Abe, they belong to the same line of thinking within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
This bodes well for the ties between Japan and India.
The Abe Legacy
PM Abe played a big part in Japan-India relations from the moment of his famous "Confluence of the Two Seas" speech in the Indian Parliament way back in 2007. He made many visits to India and shared a close bond with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Abe even invited PM Modi to his holiday home in Yamanashi Prefecture during his official visit in October 2018.
Challenges in Japan-India Relations
Nevertheless, there remain quite a few challenges in Japan-India relations.
One is the fact that the trade figures between the two sides have remained almost stagnant. In addition, although an agreement was signed between India and Japan during the tenure of the former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the exchange of 500,000 personnel in both directions, this may have to wait. There are a wide variety of reasons now, especially public sentiment in Japan, which seems to have gone against immigration.
In addition, India's close ties with Russia are a damper on India-Japan ties. This is where both sides will have to work very carefully.
Japan has steadfastly sided with the United States when it comes to the sanctions imposed on Russia. Meanwhile, India has abstained on many key resolutions critical of Russia at the United Nations.
Why the Bilateral Relationship Is Important
Japan-India relations are important for a host of reasons.
One is that their relationship gives more diplomatic options to both India and Japan. This is magnified as, in the domestic milieu in Japan, the LDP has come out of its long-running coalition with the Komeito. That also allows it more options in the foreign policy domain.
However, it remains to be seen whether India will remain a priority in Japanese foreign policy under the present administration. Will it follow the lead of or break from the diplomacy of former PM Shinzo Abe?
There is more domestic opposition to immigration now than there was during Abe's term. However, as opposed to immigrants from some other countries, Indian immigrants are highly skilled. Therefore, this is not something for the general Japanese populace to be overly worried about.
PM Modi visited Japan on August 29-30, 2025, for a bilateral summit with former Prime Minister Ishiba. He signed a slew of deals with his Japanese counterpart during the visit. Hopefully, the two sides can work on making sure that these deals reach fruition despite the change in leadership.
Ties With the US
India's relations have been somewhat tested by the differences over the trade talks and the high tariffs the US imposed on India. However, better ties seem to be on the horizon as the US and India make good progress on a trade deal.
India, Japan, the United States, and Australia are also a part of the Quad. Together, they hold the Malabar multilateral exercises, and there is much common ground between them when it comes to the Indo-Pacific.
The Road Ahead
PM Takaichi surely has a chance to build on the legacy of PM Abe when it comes to Japan-India relations. The late PM Abe built a lot of goodwill in India, on all sides of the political spectrum.
In a positive development, the two prime ministers have already talked to each other and promised to take their relations to a new level. A Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs readout of the October 29 telephone talks between the two leaders notes that PM Takaichi "expressed her intention to work together with Prime Minister Modi to open a new golden chapter in the 'Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership.'"
India is a critical nation for the success of Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy. In addition, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have a base in Djibouti, and India's location is critical for resupplying the base. Japan and India are also working towards collaboration in Africa and Sri Lanka. These initiatives open a whole new area of cooperation between the two sides.
Japan is also partnering with India in a big way in the infrastructure arena. Signature projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway project, for example, are coming up.
In addition, there is much that India and Japan can do together on rare earths, with Beijing putting export restrictions on materials from China.
PM Takaichi has a great chance of giving further momentum to the ties between Japan and one of its closest partners, India.
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Author: Dr Rupakjyoti Borah
Dr Rupakjyoti Borah is a Senior Research Fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, Tokyo. The views expressed here are personal.
