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21 March 2023: INDO-JAPAN RELATIONS

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Context: Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits India for the 14th Indo-Japan annual summit.

  • This summit shows the celebration of 70 years of Indo-Japan relations and the 75th year of India’s independence.

Background:

  • The relationship between both nations goes back to the visit of Indian monk Bodhisena in 752 AD when Buddhism was introduced to Japan.
  • India and Japan established diplomatic relations on April 28, 1952.

Partnership for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law:

  • The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is based on shared democratic values and respect for the rule of law in the international arena. as Japan holds the G7 presidency and India holds the G20 presidency, working together with ASEAN and many other countries can bring about peace and prosperity to the international community, including the quadrilateral cooperation among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States (the Quad).
  • Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI), announced by Prime Minister Modi in 2019, has been welcomed by PM Kishida and created a growing space for cooperation between the IPOI and Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
  • India and Japan, as two leading powers in the Indo-Pacific region, had a shared interest in the safety and security of the maritime domain, freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and peaceful resolution of disputes with full respect for legal and diplomatic processes in accordance with international law.
  • They reaffirmed their determination to continue prioritizing the role of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and facilitate collaboration, including in maritime security, to meet challenges against the rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas.
  • They emphasized the importance of non-militarization and self-restraint.

DEFENCE COOPERATION:

They were happy that their Foreign and Defense Ministers would meet for the first time in November 2019 in New Delhi. They told their Ministers to hold the second meeting as soon as possible in Tokyo.

  • Both countries hold multilateral exercises, including “Dharma Guardian” and “Malabar”, Japan also participated for the first time in exercise Milan.
  • They acknowledged ongoing collaboration in unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and robotics and directed their ministers to further identify concrete areas for future cooperation in defence equipment and technology.
  • The Prime Ministers condemned North Korea’s destabilizing ballistic missile launches in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). Prime Minister Kishida stressed the importance of the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
  • Partnership for a Sustainable Future: seeing the outcome of COP26, they recognized the importance and imminence of tackling climate change. They welcomed the launch of the India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) for cooperation towards achieving sustainable economic growth, addressing climate change, and ensuring energy security in areas such as electric vehicles (EV), storage systems including batteries, electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI), solar energy, clean energy including green hydrogen and ammonia, wind energy, exchange of views on respective energy transition plans, energy efficiency, CCUS (Carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage), and carbon recycling.
  • They committed to continue the further discussion about establishing the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) between India and Japan for the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
  • Prime Minister Kishida commended India’s initiatives, such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and conveyed that Japan would be joining the Indian-Swedish climate initiative LeadIT to promote heavy industry transition. They welcomed the signing of the MoC on Sustainable Urban Development.

Socio-economic cooperation:

  • Japan’s interest in India is increasing due to a variety of reasons, including India’s large and growing market and its resources, especially its human resources.
  • Prime Minister Modi has appreciated Japan’s support for India’s socio-economic development over the years. They also exchanged documents on the financing of the next (IVth) tranche of Japanese funding for a loan of 300 billion yen for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) or “Bullet Train” project, as well as an MoU on Japanese language education for the MEA. Mr Kishida also said Japan plans to mobilize a total of $75 billion in public and private funds by 2030.
  • They welcomed the launch of the “India-Japan Initiative for Sustainable Development of the Northeastern Region of India”, which includes an “Initiative for Strengthening the Bamboo Value Chain in the North East” and cooperation in health care, forest resources management, connectivity, and tourism in different states of the North Eastern Region.
    Source: The Hindu, P.I.B.