What happened: Rajnath Singh meets Japan’s Defence Minister in New Delhi

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi on 20 August 2026. The meeting is expected to strengthen bilateral defence relations, enhance strategic trust and cooperation, and support stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The two ministers are expected to exchange views on:

Deeper maritime security cooperation.Closer defence equipment and technology collaboration under India’s Make-in-India framework.

Background and earlier position: Japan’s policy change on defence technology transfer

The New Delhi meeting is linked to Japan’s revision of the Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology. These “Three Principles” are Japan’s guiding rules on when and how Japan transfers defence equipment and related technology. The revision creates a policy pathway for greater defence equipment and technology collaboration with partners like India.

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