India, Japan sign pacts on AI, metals, energy after Modi-Takaichi talks

NEW DELHI, July 02 (Reuters): India and Japan agreed on Thursday to boost cooperation in artificial intelligence, metals, energy and defence as well as prepare a joint roadmap for economic security, as the Asian nations sought to further strengthen their ties.
The agreements were signed after talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, who is on a three-day visit to New Delhi.
"Japan and India will leverage each other's strengths to grow strong and prosperous together," Takaichi told reporters after the talks. "Amid a turbulent international landscape, building such a mutually complementary cooperative relationship has become increasingly important."
Her visit follows a trip by Modi to Tokyo last year, when Japan pledged to more than double its investment in India to more than $61 billion over the next decade, highlighting deepening economic ties.
Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $27.5 billion in fiscal year 2025/26, while Japanese investment in India was $3.2 billion between April and December 2025, according to Indian government data.