Modi and Abe, both right-wing nationalists, have forged an unusually close relationship since the Indian leader came to power a year ago, in part to counter China’s growing influence.
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Japan also promised technical and financial support to help India build a high-speed train system using Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains. The train will cut travel time on the 505 km route by 5 hours. India wants not only high speed train, but also high speed growth, Modi said, adding that Indo-Japan business forum has discussed various opportunities between the countries.
“It will become an engine of economic transformation in India”. And they agreed a memorandum of understanding on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, which will be signed once technical details have been finalised.
In terms of security cooperation, Abe and Modi agreed the Maritime Self-Defense Force will regularly hold joint maritime exercises, which are now jointly conducted by India and the United States.
India and Japan today signed two key agreements which will pave the way for sale of Japanese defence equipment to India, including the much sought U.S. 2 amphibian aircraft, as both countries vowed deeper military cooperation especially in the maritime sphere.
Reflecting the importance of the nuclear pact, Modi said it was more than just an agreement and that it was a “shining symbol” of a new level of mutual confidence and strategic partnership between the two countries towards the cause of a peaceful and secure world.
The Indian side, co-chaired by Bharat Forge Chairman and Managing Director Baba Kalyani, also pitched for fostering linkages between large Japanese companies and SMEs in India and enhanced collaborations in the human resource space to promote the development of soft infrastructure. Referring to the agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “No less historic is the decision to introduce high-speed rail on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector through Shinkansen known for speed, reliability and safety”.
India and Japan had signed a pact to develop Varanasi as a “Smart City” when Prime Minister Modi had visited Japan a year ago.
Japan has in the past shunned civil nuclear cooperation with India, which has not ratified the global Non-Proliferation Treaty, but appears to have softened its stance.
“That a country explicitly created a fund labelled Japan-India Make-in India Fund has its own symbolism”.
For the first time Japan will buy cars from India.
Stressing that the world today accepts that Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty was a product of circumstances, he said, “India had told the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008 about its unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear tests…India’s word is credible…commitment is serious”. “Prime Minister Modi’s economic policies are safe and reliable”.
“Japan didn’t want to lose this deal”, University of Adelaide Centre for Asian Studies academic Purnendra Jain said by e-mail.
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“What do you think will happen”, asked Yasuhisa Kawamura, Press Secretary, Director General for Press and Public Diplomacy of the Japanese government when asked how Japan will react if India goes in for a nuclear test.
