Japan and India on Saturday sealed their warming ties with a deal for Tokyo to build India’s first high-speed train, defense pacts that will clear the way for Japan to sell weapons to India, and progress on a civil nuclear agreement.
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The two countries signed four agreements on Saturday after the bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in New Delhi.
Stating that there was deep value for the strategic partnership between Japan and India, Modi said: “Shinzo has been prompt and positive on our economic proposals many of which are now unique to India”. The Japanese company will manufacture here and export it to Japan”, he said, adding that both India and Japan “should move ahead together, not just in the sphere of high-speed trains, but also for “high-speed growth”.
Under the two security deals, India and Japan will share defense technology, military equipment and information, while under the civil nuclear deal, both countries chose to work on cooperation. “Excellency, in a world of intense, global engagements, few visits are truly historic or change the course of a relationship”.
Japan is apparently looking for additional nonproliferation guarantees before it exports nuclear reactors to New Delhi, which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Recognising the important role played by Japan’s ODA, the two sides hoped that the total commitment of Japanese ODA yen loan to India in 2015-16 may reach around 400 billion yen (approximately Rs 2,240 crore), the highest ever provided to India, it said.
China, especially over the past five years, has watched with growing alarm what it fears are attempts by its rivals to strategically encircle it – through a partnership between the US, India, Japan, Australia and, possibly, smaller nations like Singapore and Vietnam.
Kanna Mitsuta, a member of an environmental group called Friends of the Earth Japan, said the agreement “tramples” on nonproliferation efforts made by Japan, which had the bitter experience of suffering the devastation of USA atomic bombings during World War II.
Apparently, the Indian side gave assurances to Japan’s strong non-proliferation lobby to expedite the deal, the Japanese preferred to play safe and sought time for Prime Minister Abe to convince the Japanese parliament on the assurances.
India will also extend visas on arrival to Japanese citizens from March 2016, including for business travellers. “It will become an engine of economic transformation in India”, Modi said.
However, he added that exporting automobiles to Japan is not an easy task.
On South China Sea, Modi and Abe were of the view that full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and early conclusion of the negotiations to establish a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by consensus will contribute to peace and stability of the region. On tracking too we have a template that satisfies major nuclear suppliers. Prime Minister Modi was additionally seen describing every occasion to his Japanese counterpart.
This will go a long way to boost Prime Minister Modi’s desire to strengthen India’s infant defence production industry.
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On the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) issue, he said India had put it behind with Japan’s help in 2008 itself when the nuclear suppliers group decided to make an exception for India. “I hope economic ties between our two countries will be ever closer”, Abe said.
