Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, the Indian Navy’s Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, visited Japan in October 2026 as New Delhi and Tokyo moved to strengthen maritime and defence cooperation. The visit focused on expanding collaboration in shipbuilding, mine countermeasures and potential joint development projects under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

During the visit, Vice Admiral Kochhar held bilateral discussions with Vice Admiral Yasuhiro Kunimi, Vice Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), and Lieutenant General Norimichi Shirakawa, Vice Chief of Staff of Japan’s Joint Staff. He also met Rear Admiral Toshiyuki Hirata, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to closer India-Japan defence cooperation.

The Indian naval leader additionally met India’s Ambassador to Japan, Nagma Mallick, to discuss the growing strategic partnership between the two countries and ongoing maritime engagement initiatives.

A key highlight of the visit was a tour of the JMSDF’s stealth frigate JS Mogami. Vice Admiral Kochhar met Vice Admiral Izuru Ikeuchi, Commander of the Fleet Surface Force, and inspected the vessel’s capabilities and facilities. The two sides reiterated their shared determination to deepen cooperation across the maritime domain and explore new avenues for collaboration.

The discussions reflected increasing interest in defence shipbuilding cooperation between the two nations. India and Japan are seeking to leverage their respective industrial strengths, with particular emphasis on enhancing operational coordination at sea and developing advanced maritime capabilities.

The visit came shortly after the India-Japan Defence Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi in August 2026, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation.

The agreement established a framework for stronger maritime collaboration, including closer engagement between the Indian Navy and the JMSDF.

The arrangement also aims to advance cooperation in areas such as Maritime Domain Awareness, Search and Rescue operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions, and broader maritime security activities.

Japan has separately proposed transferring the design and local production rights of its Mogami-class stealth frigates to India. The proposal aligns with India’s ambition to expand indigenous warship construction and could open the door to future joint warship development projects.

The Mogami-class frigate is regarded as one of Japan’s most advanced multi-mission naval platforms. Designed with stealth features and a high degree of automation, the class supports anti-submarine warfare, surveillance operations and mine countermeasure missions, making it a significant area of interest for India as it modernises its naval fleet.

Agencies