The leaders of India and Japan, Asia’s leading democracies and economies, have pitched bilateral relations into a higher trajectory, and have imparted a strong strategic orientation to this relationship which is critical to shaping the unfolding Asian century. The relationship between Japan and India – number two and three economies of Asia respectively – has never been as close as it is today, and this burgeoning bonhomie holds hope of a new emerging international dynamics in Asia and points to a future where bilateral relations stand redefined.
Barely weeks after the India trip of Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s presence in New Delhi underscored the direction and growing depth of the India-Japan relationship. It also showed an increasingly important place Japan occupies India’s economic and strategic consciousness today. The very fact that Abe came to New Delhi as chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations -an honour meant for those very close to India – underlined the importance New Delhi attached to galvanising ties between the two nations of Asia which have long association of cultural and economic ties. The two countries signed a clutch of agreements in New Delhi after talks between their leaders, opening up fresh possibilities in new areas of cooperation.
Besides these agreements, what’s of greater significance is India’s invitation to Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force to participate in the India-United States naval exercises this year off India’s western coast. “Our bilateral maritime exercises have now been established on an annual basis and we have welcomed Japan’s participation in the Malabar exercise this year,” announced India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after wide-ranging talks with his Japanese counterpart.
The most important deal was in the area of energy cooperation. “More broadly, we are working toward increasing our cooperation in the area of advanced technologies,” said Manmohan Singh at a joint statement after the talks with his Japanese counterpart. The agreements encompassed diverse areas:
Education: The two nations entered into an agreement for implementing bilateral science and technology exchanges.
Tourism: A memorandum was signed between Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan and the Ministry of Tourism, India to promote tourism in the country. Japan has already made huge investment in creating the Buddha circuit in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, connecting all the Buddhist sites.
Energy and Telecommunications: India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a Model Project for Energy Management Systems in Telecommunication Towers in India.
Power: A pact was signed for Japanese investment in NTPC’s Kudgi Power Plant and Auraiya Power Plant. This is important as it will help in boosting India’s power generation.
There were also humanitarian gestures. Japan also agreed to give $113 million for reconstruction loans to Uttarakhand, which was ravaged by massive landslide last year, for reconstruction. It will invest $14.6 million loan for setting up of Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Chennai
Both the countries underscored the need to enhance people-to-people contacts. They emphasised the need to relax visa requirements for greater interactions between the countries. “The expansion of people-to-people contact is an important issue to address in order to broaden the base of our bilateral relationship. We have made the decision to introduce short-term multiple entry visas for the citizens of India. We will continue to promote academic and educational exchanges,” said Mr Abe.
What also stood out in the summit interaction was India’s indirect support to Japan in its territorial dispute with China. The joint statement issued at the end of the three-day of visit says that “the two Prime Ministers reiterated the commitment of Japan and India to the freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce and peaceful settlement of disputes based on the principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)”. “The importance of freedom of overflight and civil aviation safety in accordance with the recognized principles of international law and the relevant standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” says the statement.
This statement does not mention any country, but it is clearly targeted at China and for the first time New Delhi seems to be taking the side of Tokyo in its territorial dispute with the number one economy of Asia.
(The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author)
— Also watch a short film by India Writes Network on India-Japan relations entitled, ‘India and Japan: Shaping an Asian Century.’ http://www.indiawrites.org/video/india-and-japan-shaping-an-asian-century/
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