Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with Japanese counterpart General Nakatani San in New Delhi on Monday, where he expressed condolences for the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. During their bilateral meeting, Nakatani affirmed Japan’s solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism.
“I want to begin by offering my sincere condolences to the people who lost their lives in the Pahalgam attack,” he told Rajnath Singh at the start of their talks.
The two ministers discussed the regional security environment and explored ways to enhance defence cooperation between India and Japan. Singh expressed appreciation for Japan’s gesture, stating, “I thank the Government of Japan for its strong expression of solidarity with India in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. I commend you for your sustained efforts to strengthen the India-Japan defence relationship.”
According to the Ministry of Defence, the meeting was aimed at deepening bilateral defence ties. It is the second India-Japan Defence Ministers’ meeting in six months, following their last engagement on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Laos in November 2024.
It was a delight to meet Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani San in New Delhi. India shares a Special, Strategic and Global partnership with Japan. During the bilateral meeting we discussed defence cooperation and regional security. Both sides condemned terrorism in all forms… pic.twitter.com/cqd7CWyxLS
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 5, 2025
India and Japan, both members of the Quad grouping, are working to expand military coordination, including discussions on a proposed logistics supply-sharing agreement. Their strategic partnership was elevated to a “Special Strategic and Global Partnership” in 2014, with defence and security cooperation as key pillars.
In recent years, defence ties between the two nations have grown stronger, underscoring their shared commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Team BharatShakti
