Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s three-day visit to India, starting December 11, came with strong diplomatic overtures. The visit came second in the row in less than two years concomitant with Japanese Emperor’s visit in 2013- reflective of the importance that Japan attaches to India.
By Amrita Jash
Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe’s three-day visit to India, starting December 11, came with
strong diplomatic overtures. The visit came second in the row in less than two
years concomitant with Japanese Emperor’s visit in 2013- reflective of the
importance that Japan attaches to India.
The context to
this visit is very strategic in its orientation. Wherein, the long-standing
trusted cordial between India and China runs parallel to the changing dynamics
of the international system, as the strategic calculus between the two countries serves the key rational to counter-balance the growing clout of China. Given this state
of affairs, the equation between Indian PM Narendra Modi and his Japanese
counterpart Shinzo Abe, aims to extrapolate the relations from economics to
that of strategic. That is, changing the camaraderie to that of a partnership
vested with realpolitik goals. As PM
Abe said a “strong India is good for Japan and a strong Japan is
good for India”- staging the high politics as the need of the hour.
Image
Attribute: The Former Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee calls on
the Former Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo on December
10, 2001.
Source: PIB, Government of India
With the turn
of the twenty-first century, India and Japan elevated their bilateral
relationship to a new qualitative level with 2001 Vajpayee-Koizumi Agreement on “India-Japan
Global Partnership”- centering on twin pillars of broadening and deepening
the development of bilateral relations with meeting global challenges. The
equation got further elevated with Modi-Abe’s pledge of “Special
Strategic Global Partnership” in 2014 and with Abe’s 2015 visit the
relationship transcended to a new high of “Special
Strategic and Global Partnership”. These shifts in the relationship
exemplify the importance both India and Japan attach to each other- strong
alliance built on trusted friendship.
Given the
ascendence in the relationship, the new optics of the long standing partnership
have found a new “India-Japan Vision 2025” that calls for a new direction to
undertake comprehensive and concrete medium and longterm action plans, to
realize the global profiles of two countries in the diameter of “Indo-Pacific
region” in particular and the world at large. Owing to this vision, the Joint
Statement notes:
“[India-Japan is a] key relationship with the
largest potential for growth, into a deep, broad-based and action-oriented
partnership, which reflects a broad convergence of their long-term political,
economic and strategic goals”.
Making the
‘glass look full’, Abe’s India visit has given a new impetus to the unfolding
dynamics in global politics. It signals a strong bandwagon to outset China
both in India’s strategic space as well as in the Indo-Pacific theater, where ‘China’s assertive action’ calls for a strong ‘countervailing force in
reaction’. In this spirit, it is important to note that both Modi and Abe have
strongly committed to realize a peaceful, open, equitable, stable and
rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. India and Japan pledged to
uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity; peaceful
settlement of disputes; democracy, human rights and the rule of law; open
global trade regime; and freedom of navigation and overflight. In joining the
strategic dots, it is clear that China lies at the heart of this joint
commitment. Wherein, both India and Japan face severe challenges from China in
terms of territorial sovereignty and unresolved disputes (India-China boundary
dispute and Diaoyu/Senkaku islands dispute in East China Sea) and most
recently, the heightened maritime challenges in the South China Sea (China’s
land reclamation activities) and Indian Ocean Region (String of Pearls, China’s
21st Maritime Silk Road Initiative and others). That is, the united bid aims at
fighting the odd (China) by acting even.
What is
noteworthy is that the longstanding econometric vision of India-Japan ties got
diversified with new defence and security ties. This is reflected in the strategic
expansion of the relationship index with the signing of 16 historic MoUs-
broadening the ties in defence, security, economic and cultural fields.
Of which, the most significant pacts are:
Image Attribute: CII's India-Japan Business Leader Forum / Source: Press Trust of India
First, with
economics being the pinnacle, the key achievement has been the $15 billion deal
in building the high-speed Japanese Shinkansen bullet train connecting Mumbai
with Ahmedabad. Japan agreed to offer $12 billion soft loan at an
interest rate of 0.1 per cent with repayment over 50 years and a moratorium for
15 years. This deal is a landmark as it comes after Japan lost its bid to China
on a $5 billion rail deal in Indonesia. While winning the Indian bid, Japan has
ousted China’s push for the project. In acknowledging Japan’s role in India’s
economic transformation, PM
Modi stated “No partner has played such a decisive role in India’s
economic transformation as Japan. No friend will matter more in realizing
India’s economic dreams than Japan.” Besides, in furthering Modi’s vision of
“Make in India”, Japan pledged $12 billion to fund the initiative and also
build industrial townships in India.
Second, the
civil-nuclear energy agreement, marked the biggest achievement for India. As
this vital agreement paved its way after five years of protracted negotiations-
bringing the ‘trust’ back to the relationship, lost in the aftermath of India’s
1998 nuclear flagship. This pact will boost India’s economic growth as this
energy merger will quadruple India’s present 5,000 megawatts of nuclear power
to 20,000 megawatts by 2020 - significantly satisfying the energy demands
needed for the economic outgrowth. Highlighting the importance and confirming
India’s benign stand towards the deal, PM Modi described it as a “shining
symbol of a new level of mutual confidence and strategic partnership”.
Source: REUTERS/Issei
Kato/Files
Third, defence
and security ties, wherein Japan is now an official partner in the India-US
Malabar Exercises. This is a strategic move by India to jointly counter
maritime challenges in Indo-Pacific. It is mainly aimed at countering China’s
increasing unilateral moves in the South China Sea, which serves as an
important Sea lane of Communication (SLOC) along the Straits of Malacca.
Besides, the two sides have also agreed on transfer of the defence equipment and
technology and exchange of other security measures for the protection of
classified military information- further strengthening the strategic
ties.
Besides, these
three key imperatives, the two sides also agreed to collaborate in areas of
infrastructure, manufacturing and high technology, including advanced transportation
systems, solar power generation, space, biotechnology,
rare earths and advanced materials- magnifying the scope the bilateral
relationship.
Apart from the
strategic significance of hard power politics, the Modi-Abe cordial also witnessed a
symbolic underpinning with Abe’s grand welcome at Varanasi- adding the
cultural quotient to diplomacy. It also reflects the spiritual connect that
India-Japan envisage over Buddhism and further strengthens India’s claim on Japan
as its ‘most trusted friend and ally’.
In an overall assessment, what stands strong is that India and Japan quantify a ‘strong
all weather friendship’ as that of China and Pakistan. In drawing the parallels
between the two, India-Japan equation plays a pivotal role in balancing the
strategic dynamics against China in East Asia, in similar undertone as China
does with Pakistan in influencing the strategic environment against India in South Asia. What
can be posited is that, China acts as the primary catalyst in defining and driving
the India-Japan bond from friendship to that of strategic partnership. Given
the power dynamics of a multi-polar world, India-Japan nexus acts as the key
lynchpin for United States to safeguard its strategic interests in the
Indo-Pacific. With a strong alliance in the making to outset China’s rise,
India and Japan act as strong players in the global political theatre both
individually and collectively. That is, India and Japan are anchored in a
‘trusted friendship’- which will only grow stronger with time if not weak.
Therefore, what is next after ‘Special strategic partnership’ for India and
Japan is the significant watch of the hour.
About The Author:
Amrita
Jash (K-5665-2015) is Editor-in-Chief of IndraStra
Global and a Doctoral Candidate at the Centre for East Asian Studies
(Chinese Division), School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi, INDIA
Citation:
Jash, Amrita.
"India & Japan: From a ‘Trusted Friendship’ to a ‘Special Strategic
& Global Partnership’." IndraStra 1, no. 12 (2015): 0538.
https://www.indrastra.com/2015/12/FEAURED-India-Japan-from-Trusted-friendship-to-Strategic-Global-Partnership-0538.html.
ISSN 2381-3652