Japan Hopes to Draw India Toward Democratic Group, as U.S. Tariffs Allow China to Take Advantage

By Shinsuke Uemura and Sachiko Aoki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

1:00 JST, August 31, 2025

The agreement reached between Japan and India on Friday is believed to reflect Tokyo’s aim to strengthen its strategic relationship with New Delhi on multiple levels and draw the country closer to the democratic camp.

India’s geopolitical position is becoming more ambiguous due to the impact of U.S. tariff measures and China’s moves to improve its relations with the country. The Japan-India agreement focused on the promotion of medium- to long-term security and economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi stressed their close relationship at a joint press conference after their meeting in Tokyo on Friday.

“Building a mutually complementary relationship where we can share our respective strengths and jointly create a solution is precisely what serves the interests of both nations,” Ishiba said. Responding to Ishiba’s remarks, Modi said, “Strong democracies are natural partners in shaping a better world … Together, we carry a common dream of peace, progress and prosperity of our peoples and for the world.”

The outcome document compiled by both governments at the summit covers at least 15 items, with a focus on three key areas: defense and security cooperation; economic partnership; and people-to-people exchanges.

In their joint statement, language stressing the need for medium- to long-term cooperation is prominent. For instance, it states that the two nations will pursue the “partnership for security and prosperity of our next generation.”

“Commitments to ensuring a continuous bilateral cooperative relationship were ‘pinned down’ [in the statement],” a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

U.S. tariffs destabilize relations

Japan’s effort to strengthen ties with India comes as U.S.-India relations are being destabilized over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

Trump imposed a 50% tariff on U.S. imports from India –- higher than the 30% levied on goods from China ー citing India’s continued purchases of crude oil from Russia, which is continuing its aggression against Ukraine. India strongly protested the move, with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar calling the measures unfair and unreasonable.

Amid these cooled U.S.-India relations, China is looking to improve its ties with India. At meeting of the foreign ministers of India and China on Aug. 18, the two countries confirmed the importance of maintaining peace in Kashmir, a disputed region that both India and Pakistan claim as their own.

Some believe China’s conciliatory moves are merely a temporary stance ahead of Modi’s visit to China on Saturday, where he was to attend the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). “India views China as an adversary and will not fully join hands with it,” a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official speculated.

Japan places great importance on the Quad, a cooperative framework between Japan, the United States, Australia and India. It is therefore feeling a pressing need to strengthen its relationship with India to prevent it from leaning further toward China or Russia, especially as China is expanding military presence.

Japan is ‘easy to work with’

India, too, values its relationship with Japan when navigating its relations with China. The Modi administration advocates an “Act East” policy that emphasizes partnerships with East and Southeast Asia and is eager to strengthen ties with Japan with China’s military advances in mind.

India has no pending issues with Japan such as border disputes, and both joined efforts to reform the U.S. Security Council. India, according to Japanese and Indian sources, views Japan as “an easy partner to work with.”

However, India has traditionally maintained a non-aligned stance, and continues to practice omnidirectional diplomacy while emphasizing “strategic autonomy” to avoid being dependent on the United States or Europe. Modi was expected to hold meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

Japan needs to not only have a “joint vision” with India, but also implement tangible cooperation in order to make its relations with the country irreversible, a senior Japanese government official said.