Daily Editorials – Indo-Japan Relations

• India-Japan

1. Advantages for India 

2. Advantages for Japan

3. Indo-Japanese relations

4. Economic

5. Strategic

6. Way forward

Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy

Indo-Japanese relations – Cultural ,Economic ,Strategic

Limitations

Context-   Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his three-day visit to Japan, signed Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy deal with his counterpart P.M. Shinzo Abe of Japan.

India-Japan relationship is a special strategic and global partnership.

Advantages for India

• The deal has been in discussion between the two countries for six years before it was signed.This is the first time that Japan signs such deal with a non-signatory of Non-Proliferation Treaty.
• Gives much needed boost to india’s NSG bid.
• The deal allows Japan to export nuclear technology to India
• The deal is important India’s renewable energy plans.
• Japanese companies that produce cutting-edge reactor technology were previously not allowed to supply parts to India
• This deal will also make it more difficult for China to keep India out of the NSG club because terms of the civil nuclear deal with Japan, in effect bring India within the NPT framework.Termination and cessation clause within the agreement permits signatories to stop nuclear cooperation in case India conducts nuclear tests .

Foreign policy isn’t built on the bedrock of friendship but shared mutual interests .

Advantages for Japan

• Decreased domestic demand, since the 2011 Fukushima disaster has forced Japan’s nuclear industry to look for markets abroad.
• Any regional alliance that Japan forges has to be compatible with Japan’s security relationship with US . India is one of the influential country in South Asia with compatible relations with US.
• India is big enough to counter China
• Indian economy is also large enough to provide an alternative manufacturing base for Japanese industry

Indo-Japanese relations

Cultural/Historical

• Japan and India have strong cultural ties, based mainly on Japanese Buddhism
• Subhas Chandra Bose, who led the Azad Hind, a nationalist movement which aimed to end the British raj through military means, used Japanese sponsorship to form the Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army (INA).
• Sister city arrangement launched with Japan with signing of Kyoto- Varanasi Pact.

Economic

• Total trade has come down to $ 14.51 billion in 2015-16 from a peak of $ 18.5 billion in 2012-13
• India has been the largest recipient of Japanese ODA (Official development Assistance) Loan for the past several years .
• Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Japan came into force in August 2011 aiming  to double bilateral trade nearly to $25 billion.
• Attracting Japanese investment, technology and business is crucial for transforming India into Asia’s new production line.
• During Indian PM’s visit to Japan in 2014 , Japan promised to invest more than USD 35 billion in India. Modi promised to introduce a special mechanism like a “Japan Fast Track Channel for Japanese investors in India” .
• High speed train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad that is being built with the help of Japan.

Strategic

• India and Japan are natural partners as said by our Prime Minister , both countries have various areas of conversion like balancing power equation in the region , working for bringing peaceful solution to conflicts and economic progress .
• India and Japan shares similar anxieties pertaining to Chinese assertive posture and are equally concerned about the rapidly changing US-China power balance in the Indo-Pacific.
• India is one of the nations japan looks forward to Apart from Australia and US , framing a strategic diamond to check chinese aggression. And US also considers an important country in its efforts in Rebalancing Asia.
• Both India and Japan have similar consensus over nuclear deterrence and have common views for the global elimination of nuclear weapons.
• Malabar naval exercise underscores the convergence in strategic interests in waters of the Indo-Pacific .
• Proposed purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft from Japan.

Way forward

• India and Japan are two powerful democratic forces in Asia which are searching for more options to work and prosper jointly.
• Both nations need to work together to tame China and its influence on Indo-Pacific waters.
• Economic front needs to be strengthened to reach “Low Hanging Fruit of Asia” wherein demographic dividend of the India can be used to benefit both nations.
  

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