Japan is considering conducting long-range missile and drone training in India as it develops its defence capabilities and enhances its coordination with regional partners.
Tokyo is seeking more places to train with advanced weapons than on the Korean Peninsula, which involves strikes at distances of around 1,000 kilometres.
The talks also underscore that India and Japan are the most important defence partners: two countries that share an interest in keeping things stable and safe in the Indo-Pacific. But at present, Japan is still in discussion, and the location and timing of any such training exercise is not publicly known.
Why Japan is looking outside of its borders. Japan is also considering overseas sources for weapons training because long-range training with long-range weapons is difficult in the country’s geography.
On October 27, 2026, GSDF Chief of Staff General Masayoshi Arai confirmed that Japanese personnel had travelled to India to coordinate discussions about possible training arrangements. The talks allegedly involve opportunities to practise with long-range missiles and small attack drones.
Weapons that can travel hundreds of kilometres and require extensive testing and well-planned training systems must have sufficient space and safe flight paths and the right facilities for monitoring missile movements.
Such places are difficult to access when training is held in dense urban areas or where testing facilities are less developed.
Japan’s overseas facilities can also serve for its military personnel to prepare for the modern weapons systems. Japan is investing in weapons that can reach targets from a great distance as part of its national defence strategy. A product of that development is the Type 25 surface-to-ship missile, which has a range of about 1,000 kilometres.
Long-range missiles can enhance a country’s ability to respond to maritime threats and allow military forces to operate further from potential danger zones. But the problem of successful deployment is more than building the weapons themselves. Personnel need to have access to launch procedures, targeting systems, communications and operational coordination.
A few more logistical problems with the training of such weapons are that missile trajectories and the potential impact areas need to be properly monitored. That is why Japan should also have the right facilities for the testing of its military systems as it expands its military capabilities.
India has a wealth of missile testing and military research experience. Its defence facilities include the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha to test different missile systems.
India’s eastern coastline and access to the Bay of Bengal provide maritime areas that can support certain missile-related activities, depending on the weapons involved, safety requirements and government permissions.
For Japan, India might provide another option for training in a way that would not be possible in its own territory. Yet the talks do not reveal that Chandipur or any other Indian facility has been chosen for the proposed exercises.
Any future agreement will require both countries to determine the training requirements, equipment involved, operational procedures and safety measures before it could be put in place.
Defence relations in India-Japan are developing. The missile-training discussions come as India and Japan are expanding their military cooperation. Both countries are very much concerned with security and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and cooperation with each other.
In October 2026, a Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Command and General Staff Course delegation visited India. There the 34-member delegation met Indian army officers and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It also visited the Centre for Land Warfare Studies and Wargame Research and Development Centre.
But such meetings give military personnel the chance to exchange information and discuss new defence challenges. Long-range missile training for the two countries at long range might also be discussed. Japan has long-range weapons on the one hand, so there’s a security concern in East Asia as well.
Tensions between China and a much larger strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region have encouraged Tokyo toward the strengthening of its ability to respond to potential threats.
In India, a closer defence relationship with Japan could also open more opportunities for military cooperation and technological exchanges. But with a missile proposal a reality will be only in the final stages of the discussions.
As of October 28, 2026, Japan's plan to explore Indian military ranges is still under consideration. The proposed training location, schedule and specific weapons involved have not been publicly finalised.
If the initiative goes forward, it will be a step in India-Japan defence cooperation as both countries are building their military capabilities to cope with an ever more complex regional security context.
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