India, Japan to discuss Quad, defence ties as PM Modi meets Ishiba in Tokyo

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Tuesday that Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) would be a key subject of discussion when Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo later this week.

“Quad is an important platform for promoting peace, stability, prosperity, and development in the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, its agenda has expanded to include practical cooperation on health security, critical and emerging technologies, supply chain resilience, infrastructure development, and, importantly, critical minerals,” Misri said.

Notably, Quad has 20 critical minerals in common. While India lists 30 minerals, such as copper, phosphates, cadmium, and potash, reflecting its strategic needs in agriculture and energy, the US list of 50 minerals emphasises aluminium, barite, and graphite for the defence and tech industries. Australia, a major producer, focuses on 31 minerals, including lithium, rare earth elements (REEs), and zirconium. Japan’s list of 35 minerals highlights supply risks with its emphasis on gallium, dysprosium, and yttrium.

The Foreign Secretary underlined that both India and Japan attach high value to the Quad partnership and “look forward to working with all Quad partners to take cooperation forward”.

On bilateral meetings, Misri said a number of interactions were being finalised for the Prime Minister’s Japan visit as well as during SCO Summit in China. “As always, we will keep you updated,” he said.

Responding to queries on defence and security cooperation, the Foreign Secretary said it had emerged as an “important pillar” of the India-Japan partnership. The two sides are already co-developing Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) project — a common radar mast for the Indian Navy — under a memorandum of implementation signed in November 2024. Naval ship maintenance cooperation in India is also being explored.

He added that the two countries' defence research agencies — DRDO in India and ATLA in Japan — remain engaged on a range of technology collaboration projects. Misri also pointed to the Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission, being pursued jointly by ISRO and the Japanese space agency alongside India’s Chandrayaan-5 programme, noting that the project provides a platform for Indian space startups to showcase their capabilities.