Minister calls for paradigm shift in India-Japan relations

As globalisation results in greater interdependence strategically and economically, the relationship India shares with Japan is a much prized one. As we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between our two great nations, Observer Research Foundation and the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi hosted a seminar titled "India-Japan Bilateral Portrayals: Mutual Perception and Image Formation"on December 6, 2012.

The keynote speaker, Honourable Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Manish Tewari, called for revisiting the parameters of India-Japan relationship, saying the relationship should move beyond ODA (overseas development assistance) to co-creation. He said Japan and India can collaborate and promote technological innovation, as well as cooperating in the IT and Pharmaceutical industries.

The Minister said there was a "great creative potential"for both the countries, and the steps like establishment of the Mumbai-Delhi corridor and the proposed Bangalore-Chennai-Mumbai corridor are steps in the right direction.

Noting that "Indo-Pacific is a reality today"and Japan is "a neighbour of sorts", the Minister said that there is a need to "move out of the existing paradigms and basing of industries".

The Minister said the paradigm should be shifted to areas like joint industrial development, making use of the advantages of both the countries - investment and technology of Japan and the demographic advantage of India.

The Minister also stressed on the need to move towards multi-lateral paradigms to leverage peace and stability not only in the region but also in the world.

He said we should also focus on two-way traffic of inter-polation of ideas with greater and robust trajectory and use the power of ideas for a stable and peaceful world. Japanese Ambassador Takeshi Yagi agreed with the Minister that Japan and India should work for ensuring stability and peace in the India-Pacific as well as the world. Stressing the need for further strengthening the relationship, the Ambassador said he was sure that the bilateral relationship will remain unchanged though the country is going to polls in the next 10 days and a new government will come to power.

The Ambassador noted that the FDI from Japan has become ten-fold while India has also become the 4th largest ODA recipient.

Mr. Vikram Sood, Vice President of the ORF Centre for International Relations, said though the bilateral relations now have enlarged into a strategic partnership since 2000, there is still scope for widening cooperation - like in the field of civil nuclear cooperation.

The whole-day seminar had two sessions - one on "National portrayals: Reflection in the history and its evolution"and another on "People’s images: Lively impressions in businesses and media.

Prior to the opening of the first session, the moderator, former Indian Ambassador to Japan, Arjun Asrani, exclaimed that the India-Japan relationship has bipartisan support across party lines, in both nations. The first presentation was made by Dr. Chiharu Takenaka who gave us a historical overview of Japanese perceptions of India. She commented on the joint opening of trade routes between Mumbai and Tokyo through the pioneering efforts of the industrialists Jamshedji Tata and Eiichi Shibusawa. India also opted for an independent peace treaty with Japan in 1952, deeming the US sponsored San Francisco Peace Treaty to be unfair on Japan. Dr. Takenaka also recalled a historical event, when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru sent an elephant to Japan, due to the death of the elephant in the Tokyo Zoo. This so called ’elephant diplomacy’ contributed to the familiarity that the Japanese people feel with India.

The second presentation was made by Professor Janashruti Chandra who spoke on the portrayal of Japan in Indian textbooks as well as the converse portrayal of India in Japanese textbooks. She informed the audience that several references are made not only to Japan’s technological advancements but also to their promotion of humanistic values, aesthetics and literature. Stressing the need for positive portrayals on both sides, she also commented on the shared values that have been preserved in Indian and Japanese society such as respect for elders and courtesy.

The third presentation was made by Professor Takenori Horimoto who lamented that the first phase of bilateral relations was characterised by divergent agendas. Whilst Japan pursued an open economy and a nuclear energy programme under the aegis of the United States, India preferred a closed economic model, and was diplomatically non-aligned; this divergence was also seen in the fact that there were infrequent high-level visits between the two. However, following India’s economic reforms in 1991, there has been a convergence of mutual interests between the two nations, opening the door to Japanese investment as India strives to increase its economic capacity. An increase in trade and investment has seen an upturn in top level dignitaries visiting each other, with 61 visits in the last decade. He also claimed that no negative historical baggage exists between the two; nor is there a threat of armed engagement paving the way for a healthy relationship for decades to come.

Professor K.V Kesavan spoke on the changing diplomatic image of Japan in India, gave the fourth presentation of the first session. India’s attitude towards the inequality of the San Francisco Peace Treaty also influences countries such as Indonesia and Burma, helping Japan normalise its relationship with the nations of the S.E.Asia. Following India’s nuclear tests at Pokhran the relationship suffered a few hiccups, however in 2000 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori’s visit allowed Japan to look beyond nuclear scepticism and pursue its relationship with India as a part of a greater regional context. He also noted Japan’s aid to Indian infrastructure with significant contributions in ambitious projects such as the Delhi-Metro and the Delhi- Mumbai Industrial Corridor, stressing that despite an overall decline in Japanese aid, assistance to India is rising. The second session began following a break for a lunch with a presentation by Mr. Go Yamada who spoke on the evolving strategies of Japanese Companies in India. He informed the audience that over 300 Japanese companies have set up new offices, joint ventures and factories in India, expanding their base to include states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat. He understood that challenges exist due to issues such as land acquisition which has proven to be problematic in the past, but stressed the need to cooperate with the Indian government through Private Public Partnership (PPP) which would enable the establishment of a base for manufacturing and Research& Development.

The second presentation too was made by Mr. Yamada on behalf of Mr. Teddy Takeuchi, who unfortunately could not attend the seminar. Mr. Takeuchi’s presentation was on the trends of Japanese media on India, where he asserted how Japanese media has noted India’s large scale modernization witnessed by the mushrooming of shopping malls in important urban centres. In India more than 10 Japanese newspapers or agencies maintain an office in New Delhi and Mumbai, however there are no major Indian news corporations, suggesting ’one way traffic’ due to this limited presence.

These fears were addressed in the third presentation of the session, by Mr. Pramitpal Chaudhry, who informed the audience of the fragmented nature of Indian media. There are 80,000 registered providers of news, with over 300 TV news channels. However, English news only covers 4% of this vast viewership. The internet too has changed the media paradigm, especially on the nature of revenue. In order for companies to stay afloat they must keep the ratings high, and to do that they must keep information to be India centric. International information is often limited to only a few pages in the print media, and tends to be focussed on the United States, China and Pakistan which form the bulk of the interest of a majority of Indian readers. Japan itself does come into the top ten nations along with Canada and Australia, with issues related to immigration and education being the most common association made by Indian readers. He also informed the audience that in a Pew Research Centre Survey "Indian positive attitudes towards Japan are the highest amongst 4 other nations polled."Additionally he claimed that for the Hindustan Times, there are no foreign correspondents on the Eurasian landmass due to the substantial expenditure that is required to maintain the same.

The final presentation for the day was made by Mr. Anjan Roy, who presented on the changing image of Japan in the Indian business field. Japan had a huge lead in investment into India when it was still a protected economy. Since India’s new economic scenario, the presence of Japanese companies has been extremely pervasive into several different sectors of the Indian economy. He hailed the Japanese commitment to developing India’s infrastructural capacity. Additionally he remarked on the backlash witnessed by Japanese corporations located in China following the Senkaku Islands Conflict. This may be incentive for more Japanese companies to shift their presence to India. He also commented on India as being a hub for manufacturing and exporting Japanese goods to newer markets. Major corporations such as Suzuki, Honda, Toyota, Daiichi-Sanyo, Panasonic and Daikin use India as a base to export to African markets in nations such as Morocco and Nigeria.

The event drew to a close, as Former Ambassador to Japan, Mr. H.K Singh, who moderated the second session, gave the concluding remarks. He asserted the need to promote more people to people interaction as well as increasing partnerships between Japanese companies and Indian companies.