Steadily developing the Japan-India bilateral relationship by bolstering multitiered cooperation in the areas of security and the economy is important. Such endeavors will also lead to stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Japan in late October, held talks and agreed that both countries will strategically beef up their bilateral relationship. In a joint press statement, Abe said, "Japan-India ties will constitute the foundation that underpins the regional order."
The latest meeting marked their 12th summit talks. This time, Abe invited Modi to his vacation home, the first such invitation Abe has made to the leader of a foreign country, giving an impression of their close ties.
During his recent visit to China, Abe took steps toward the improvement of the bilateral relationship between Japan and China. Yet it is unacceptable for China, which continues its self-serving actions, to become hegemonic.
Japan, which is Asia's second-largest economy, and India, which is its third-largest, share common values such as freedom and the rule of law. It is understandable that both Japan and India, by reconfirming their partnership, aim at maintaining the balance between itself and China.
The joint statement issued by the leaders of Japan and India criticized such acts as "threat or use of force," apparently with China's maritime advancement in mind, and included the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight. It is vital for Japan and India, in cooperation with the international community, to urge China to exercise self-restraint in this regard.
Discuss broadening drills
As to bilateral security cooperation, the two leaders agreed to initiate foreign and defense ministerial meetings -- so-called two-plus-two dialogue -- and to start the negotiations on the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, a pact under which the Self-Defense Forces and India's military will reciprocally provide supplies. Both constitute an important endeavor for any allies and close partners to conduct for each other.
As long as anxiety remains over the inward-looking attitudes of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who advocates an "America first" policy, Japan and India must deepen their cooperation strategically.
With regards to the joint maritime exercises participated in by the SDF and the armed forces of the United States and India, the idea of transforming such drills into a broader framework that would include the Australian military, for instance, is also worth discussing. It is hoped that Japan's export of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's rescue flying-boats to India should be realized.
India, a country with a population of 1.3 billion, not only enjoys a huge domestic market and abundant labor force, but also lately has the advantage of progress in the area of information technology. Both countries are required to heighten the levels of their bilateral trade and investment, thus increasing their mutual benefits.
The two leaders agreed on joint research in the areas of artificial intelligence and robotics. It is essential for bilateral cooperation in the development of advanced technology to be linked to Japan's economic growth.
In western India, a high-speed railway project is under way, using Japan's Shinkansen bullet train system. It is a rail project linking Mumbai and Ahmedabad over a distance of about 500 kilometers. Most of the construction expenses are covered by yen loans.
The government has decided to extend yen loans totaling more than 300 billion yen to India, including one for the high-speed rail project. During their summit talks, Modi expressed gratitude for Japan's assistance. Japan and India should together advance the development of infrastructure in India steadily, which will constitute the foundation of the country's economic development.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 1, 2018)
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