New Delhi, April 23 — India has welcomed Japan’s decision to reassess its long-standing restrictions on transfers of defence equipment and technology, calling the move a positive step for deeper security collaboration.
A Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said New Delhi views the review of Japan’s “three principles” on defence transfers as constructive. He emphasized that defence and security ties are a key pillar of the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership and that the two countries have progressively expanded cooperation under a shared strategic outlook.
The MEA highlighted that a more flexible Japanese framework could open the door to enhanced technological and industrial collaboration between governments and private-sector partners. Such cooperation, the ministry said, would be particularly valuable in areas vital to national security and resilience.
Japan announced amendments to its Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and related guidelines on April 21. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the revisions greatly broaden the types of defence-related items that can be exported, noting that past rules had confined overseas transfers of domestically produced defence goods to only a few categories, such as search and rescue, transport, surveillance and mine-countermeasure equipment.
Under the updated approach, transfers of defence equipment are in principle possible more broadly, reflecting what Takaichi described as a changing global security environment in which no nation can guarantee its security alone. She framed the policy shift as aimed at strengthening partner countries’ defence capabilities and helping to deter conflict.
Takaichi stressed that the new policy will still operate within international export-control norms and include strict, case-by-case assessments. Eligible recipients will be those committed to the principles of the United Nations Charter, and authorities will apply rigorous end-use monitoring.
While stressing the policy change, Japan’s leadership has reiterated that the country’s post‑war pacifist orientation remains intact. Officials say the revisions enable strategically guided transfers while continuing careful scrutiny over each case.
India’s response signals an interest in tapping Japan’s evolving defence-industrial cooperation, potentially involving both government-to-government arrangements and private-sector partnerships in critical security sectors.
