Israel, India and Japan should think trilaterally

By Carice Witte

The new India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity should be read not only as a step forward in India-Israel relations, but also as an opening for a broader strategic dialogue. It gives New Delhi and Jerusalem a stronger framework for cooperation in technology, innovation, security, agriculture, water, health and economic development.

But perhaps its greatest importance for both countries lies in what it makes possible beyond the bilateral relationship.

The next step should include Japan.

India and Japan have already built one of the most important strategic partnerships in Asia. During Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s official visit to India from July 1-3, Tokyo and New Delhi released a new joint declaration from the annual summit as well as several outcome documents, including statements on economic security, artificial intelligence and energy resilience. The Japanese Foreign Ministry noted that the two leaders also discussed the Indo-Pacific, China, North Korea, the Middle East and the need for free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

While Israel has long-standing and deepening ties with India, its relations with Japan hit a roadblock on October 7, 2023.

It is not surprising that Jerusalem, which tends to focus on bilateral relations, views these two very different relationships as distinct and disconnected. But India and Japan do not think only in bilateral categories. In fact, their latest summit once again showed that Tokyo and New Delhi view their partnership as part of a broader Indo-Pacific network that connects economic security, supply chain resilience, maritime stability, energy security, technological cooperation and coordination with other partners.
This is where Israel could intervene.

Israel is not an Indo-Pacific power in the traditional maritime sense. But Israel brings assets that India and Japan both need: rapid innovation, defense technologies, cyber capabilities, water and agriculture expertise, emergency resilience, health technologies, AI applications, and an ability to move quickly from problem to prototype.

For India, Israel is already a proven strategic partner. The relationship has expanded well beyond defense acquisitions and extends to innovation, food security, water management, homeland security and high-tech cooperation. For Japan, Israel offers access to a vibrant innovation ecosystem and a proven form of resilience. For Israel, India and Japan offer something equally important: a path to the Indo-Pacific that is not dependent on any major power.

A Japan-India-Israel framework could start with practical plans for economic security. Japan and India are already focusing on supply chain resilience, critical minerals, semiconductors, energy security and advanced manufacturing. Israel could bring niche technologies that strengthen the system: cyber infrastructure protection, sensors, water technologies for industrial use, AI-based logistics, and dual-use innovation relevant to ports, energy, and transportation networks.

In the area of ​​maritime security, Israel has relevant technologies for maritime domain awareness, unmanned systems, port security, communications and critical infrastructure protection. In countries from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, such technologies would add value.

Israeli solutions for food, water and climate resilience could benefit both India and Japan. India faces enormous challenges in agriculture and water management. Japan faces aging infrastructure, climate pressures and food security concerns. Israel has decades of experience in drip irrigation, desalination, wastewater reuse, precision agriculture and desert agriculture. A trilateral platform could translate these capabilities into projects in India, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

In the area of ​​AI and emerging technologies, the Japan-India summit produced a joint statement on such cooperation, including work on large language models and cutting-edge AI. Israel should be part of this conversation because AI is heavily diffused across its defense, business, health, and research ecosystems.

The question at hand is to what extent Israeli capabilities can serve as trusted partners by building a working platform where each brings something distinct that contributes to each country’s economic and national security, leading to greater resilience and increased strategic autonomy.

India brings scale, geography, market depth and strategic weight to the Indian Ocean. Japan brings capital, industrial capacity, infrastructure expertise, and a well-developed economic security program. Israel brings innovation, agility and pressure-tested technologies. Together, the three can create a practical and mutually beneficial architecture for middle and great powers.

In an increasingly contested international system, where supply chains are increasingly vulnerable and shipping routes increasingly insecure, technology now finds itself at the center of national security. A Japan-India-Israel framework could allow the three countries to capitalize on each other’s strengths to strengthen their economic security. By sharing reliable technology, the trilateral could open sea lanes and foster food and water security, innovation and stable connectivity.

For Israel, the strategic lesson is particularly important. Israel can no longer afford to think about Asia through separate files: India in one file, Japan in another and the Gulf States elsewhere. The Indo-Pacific is increasingly connected to the Middle East. The Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea are not distinct strategic theaters. The disruption of one affects the others.

India and Japan understand this. Their latest summit made it clear that their partnership is not just about their own relationship. This is about the broader regional environment. Israel should understand the same thing.

Israel does not need to become an Indo-Pacific power to have influence in the Indo-Pacific region. It must become a serious, reliable and useful partner for the countries that shape the region.

India and Japan are the starting points.

Carice Witte is the founder and executive director of SIGNAL Group.