India and Japan have announced major cooperation initiatives during the recently held 18th Strategic Dialogue, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and critical minerals, including rare earth elements. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi launched a new AI dialogue and agreed to form a joint working group to advance collaboration on rare earth minerals.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a press release, highlighted that during the Strategic Dialogue, the Ministers reviewed the entire gamut of the multi-faceted relations, including supply chain resilience in critical sectors, investment, trade, technology and innovation, defence, people-to-people exchanges and cultural ties. “They underlined the importance of further strengthening the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership in keeping with the outcomes of the 15th Annual Summit of August 2025 and the recent discussions between the Prime Ministers in Johannesburg,” the MEA noted.
What’s the deal?
Taking forward the Japan-India AI Initiative (JAI) announced by the two Prime Ministers, the ministers launched the AI Dialogue to provide a coherent boost to bilateral cooperation in this sector. Both sides also agreed to convene the Joint Working Group on Critical Minerals under the Economic Security Initiative, aiming to advance collaboration in rare earth elements and other critical minerals.
India-Japan partnership
While delivering remarks at the 18th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue, EAM S Jaishankar asserted that India places a very high priority on its partnership with Japan. He stated that the partnership between the two countries has evolved over the past two decades into a broad, comprehensive and strategic relationship.
“India attaches very great priority to its friendship with Japan. And over the last two decades, we have been successful in transforming the relationship from what was primarily an economic relationship into one that is broad, comprehensive, and strategic in its focus,” Jaishankar stated.
