Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met a delegation of Japanese lawmakers led by Taro Kono in New Delhi on September 21 to discuss ways to further strengthen relations between India and Japan. Kono is a senior Japanese politician and former Foreign Minister and Defence Minister. The delegation is visiting India under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Distinguished Visitors Programme.
The Japanese delegation also includes lawmakers Karen Makishima, Kenji Nakanishi and Sako Yamamoto. During their visit, the group travelled to Bengaluru, where they visited institutions including the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Space Research Organisation and Bharat Electronics Limited.
During the meeting with Misri, the two sides discussed political and economic issues of shared interest. Their broader discussions covered areas such as defence, economic security, resilient supply chains, trade, investment, technology, innovation and stronger connections between the people of the two countries.
Supply chain resilience has become an important area of India-Japan cooperation. Both countries have been working to strengthen cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, batteries, pharmaceuticals and other important technologies. The outcomes of the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit also included agreements aimed at building more reliable and resilient supply chains.
The two countries have also been expanding cooperation in technology and research. During the July 2026 annual summit, India and Japan announced a joint statement on artificial intelligence and several other initiatives covering AI, critical minerals, clean energy, pharmaceuticals and next-generation mobility.
India and Japan have described their relationship as a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The two governments have said that stronger cooperation can contribute to a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reviewed this partnership during the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit held in New Delhi in July.
The latest parliamentary delegation visit provides another opportunity for officials and lawmakers from both countries to exchange views and explore areas for closer cooperation. It also follows other high-level India-Japan meetings in recent weeks, including talks between Misri and Japanese Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Hiroyuki Namazu earlier in September.
The discussions in New Delhi underline the continuing focus on expanding India-Japan cooperation across security, economic and technological areas. Both sides are expected to continue working on initiatives agreed during the annual summit while strengthening political and people-to-people contacts.