The term Special Strategic and Global Partnership is a diplomatic concept that defines the highest tier of bilateral relations between India and Japan. It is an apex framework for cooperation, not a legal act or scheme. The partnership was formally established in September 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed the Tokyo Declaration, elevating the existing "Strategic and Global Partnership" (established in 2006). The elevation was driven by a broad convergence of long-term political, economic, and strategic goals, particularly a shared interest in a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.
The partnership works through an institutionalized architecture, including an Annual Summit and the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue, which was inaugurated in November 2019. Key provisions cover multiple pillars: defence cooperation, such as the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) signed in 2020 for reciprocal logistics support, and joint military exercises like Dharma Guardian and JIMEX. Economic cooperation is structured by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), in force since August 1, 2011, and includes Japan's financing of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project. A recent change includes the reaffirmation of economic security as a foundational pillar of the partnership. The partnership is also connected to India's Act East Policy and Japan's vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
Note: India also shares a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" with Russia, which was elevated to this status in 2010 from the "Strategic Partnership" established in 2000.