Sansad TV Perspective: 70 Years of India-Japan Ties

In the series Sansad TV Perspective, we bring you an analysis of the discussion featured on the insightful programme ‘Perspective’ on Sansad TV, on various important topics affecting India and also the world. This analysis will help you immensely for the IAS exam, especially the mains exam, where a well-rounded understanding of topics is a prerequisite for writing answers that fetch good marks.

In this article, we feature the discussion on the topic: 70 Years of India-Japan Ties

Anchor: Vishal Dahiya

Participants:

1. Prof. Srabani Roy Choudhury, Japanese Studies,SIS, JNU
2. Aftab Seth, Former Ambassador to Japan
3. Professor Rajib Shaw, Director, India Japan Laboratory, Keio University, Japan

Background:

• The 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Japan is being commemorated. On April 28, 1952, India and Japan established diplomatic relations. 
• In a tweet, India’s Prime Minister said that the two countries’ ties have deepened in every sphere, including strategic, economic, and people-to-people contacts.
• In a post-COVID world, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s recent visit to India for the annual summit laid out a roadmap for deepening the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries.
• Know more about India-Japan Ties discussed in an earlier episode of Sansad TV Perspective.

India–Japan economic ties:

• Economic ties and infrastructure development are likely to be top drawer items on the agendas of India and Japan. 
• Japan announced that it will invest 5 trillion yen in India over the next five years to finance public and private projects of ‘mutual interest’. 
• For the sixth time in March 2022, the India–Japan Act East Forum focused on connectivity projects in Northeast India.
• In 2015, Japan announced the Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure (EPQI), which aims to provide high-quality infrastructure to developing countries.
• Significance: The desirability of Indian exports has been influenced by Japan’s free trade agreements with East and Southeast Asian economies, as well as the favourable tariff regimes in trade blocs such as APEC and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• Challenge: The improved political goodwill between Japan and India has not yet translated into economic integration. Given the size of their economies, trade and service exchange is insufficient and characterized by imbalance.

Indo-Japanese defense relations:

• Japan has moved quickly in its ambitions to play a greater role in providing security for the Indo-Pacific, and partners like India have been a key part of its strategic vision. 
• As military competition with China heats up, India and Japan, along with the United States and Australia, have drawn closer in an effort to build a new security architecture. 
• In 2020, the two nations signed a Mutual Logistics and Supply Agreement (MLSA), which allows the militaries to access each other’s bases and a host of related supplies. 
• Expanding defense technology development, over and above existing Unmanned Ground Vehicle and Robotics programmes, has been rightly identified as a key priority. 
• Significance: As the Ukraine crisis has shown, India would benefit from diversifying its sources of armaments and key technologies from countries like Japan. Expanding military cooperation, including on the exchange of ammunition and weapons, will help pave the way for greater interoperability between the Indian and Japanese militaries.
• Challenges: Previous attempts to boost defense trade, such as India’s pursuit of Japan’s Shinmaywa US-2 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, have failed. Furthermore, the Indo-Japanese MLSA is a scaled-down version of Japan’s more expansive Reciprocal Access Agreement with Australia, which was recently signed.

Also read: India – Japan Ties: AIR Spotlight

The Quad agenda

• The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) in the Indo-Pacific is an important feature of Japan’s current strategic policy.
• The QUAD countries, including Japan and India, are experiencing the common problems: 
  • A steady increase in Chinese presence and activity near their borders. 
  • India and Japan are heavily dependent on freedom of navigation for trade and development in the Indo Pacific.
  • Besides China’s challenges to established norms of international law especially pertaining to freedom of navigation in the high seas is a common cause of concern.
• China’s response to the Quad is another challenge that faces the leaderships of India and Japan. 
• While India has refused to be associated in any fashion with a formal military network, Japan seems to be cautious of openly challenging China keeping in mind that China is Japan’s largest export destination accounting for some 25 per cent.

India-Japan collaborations in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of India have signed a grant agreement to support a power supply project in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI).
• The goal of this investment is to stabilise South Andaman’s power supply by utilising renewable energy sources through equipment and facilities.
• With its ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ policy, Japan shares India’s aspirations. As a result, their partnership, which is manifested in JICA’s investments, has been geared toward this strategic convergence.
• JICA has been working with the Indian Union Government and state governments to help the country with poverty alleviation, investment promotion, and infrastructure development.
• Know more about India – Japan Cooperation discussed in RSTV Big Picture.

Significant Aspects of India-Japan Ties:

• Balanced Security Policy against China:
• • The partnership between India and Japan aims to counterbalance fears about China’s expanding footprint. 
  • India and Japan are concerned about China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean, which includes a large number of naval appearances.
  • The expansion of India-Japan cooperation is a response to the aforementioned process. 
  • Joint naval exercises, the entire Quad framework, and bilateral agreement that would reportedly allow India to use the Japanese base in Djibouti and Japanese forces to use Indian facilities on the Andaman and Nicobar islands are among these avenues of collaboration.

• Science and Technology Partnership
• • India and Japan want to expand their collaboration in areas like cybersecurity and emerging technologies. 
  • Both countries have formed a digital research and innovation partnership that covers a wide range of technologies, from artificial intelligence and 5G to the Internet of Things and space exploration.
  • Other initiatives include the establishment of three India-Japan Joint Laboratories in the field of ICT (AI, IoT, and Big Data) in Japan, as well as the establishment of six SISTERs (Satellite International Institutes for Special Training Education and Research) in India for drug development and therapeutic diseases. 
  • Scientists from ISRO and JAXA are looking into the possibility of collaborating on a joint space exploration satellite mission.

Know more about Significant Aspects of India-Japan Ties in IRTW Episode 65. 

• Hospitality through Omotenashi
• • Omotenashi, which means “to wholeheartedly look after guests,” is a deeply rooted culture in Japan that stems from the sado (tea ceremony).
  • Japanese hospitality is known as omotenashi. When you combine the two, you get a service that comes from the heart – no hiding, no pretending. 
  • The term is a microcosm of the country itself, representing a Japanese hospitality mindset that prioritizes care over expectation. This is an important future area for India-Japan cooperation.

Know in detail about the India Japan Relations and Challenges Ahead: India – Japan Relations

Read more summaries of Perspective in the link.

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