When Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) chief Shinzo Abe's tenure as prime minister was cut short in 2007 — for health reasons — India seemed to have been deprived of the main course after a scrumptious appetizer. As the lower house elections in the country would have it on Sunday, the time for that elusive main meal has come now.
Known for his 'emotional connect' with India, Abe seemed set to be sworn in as the new PM with the LDP-led coalition winning an absolute majority in the House of Representatives.
As PM in 2006, Abe had stunned many by predicting that Japan-India relations had the potential to overtake Japan-US and Japan-China ties . "Abe had outlined a bold vision for Japan-India ties and his coming back should be a great opportunity for the ties to rapidly expand," strategic affairs expert C Raja Mohan told TOI here.
During his a visit to India in 2011, Abe had told a gathering at the ICWA, "India's success is in Japan's best interests and Japan's success is in the best interests of India."
Abe's comeback couldn't have come at a better time for India. For one, he has taken a much more pragmatic view of Japan's nuclear policy in the face of the Fukushima accident than his predecessor Yoshihiko Noda who wanted to phase out nuclear power completely by 2030. Instead of shunning it altogether, he has asked to let reactors considered safe reopen. This has led to hope that talks with India could resume peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Abe won despite the popular sentiment against nuclear power. "Our focus should have been on renewable energy but Abe is a short-sighted man," mayor of Minamisouma city, Katsunobu Sakurai, said. Minamisouma was one of the worst affected areas on the Pacific coast by the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami and its nuclear fallout.
Abe's hawkish stand on China (he recently described Japan's position on Senkaku islands dispute as too reserved) is not going to harm India either at a time when the focus of the world has shifted to the Asia-Pacific in the face of Beijing's growing assertiveness in the region.
It remains to be seen though how quickly Abe can move to implement some of the controversial issues on his agenda, like his intent to rebuild ties with the US by "exercising the right to collective self defence". He wants Japan to be able to militarily defend its allies who are attacked by tweaking the interpretation of Japan's constitution, if not the constitution itself.
Known for his 'emotional connect' with India, Abe seemed set to be sworn in as the new PM with the LDP-led coalition winning an absolute majority in the House of Representatives.
As PM in 2006, Abe had stunned many by predicting that Japan-India relations had the potential to overtake Japan-US and Japan-China ties . "Abe had outlined a bold vision for Japan-India ties and his coming back should be a great opportunity for the ties to rapidly expand," strategic affairs expert C Raja Mohan told TOI here.
During his a visit to India in 2011, Abe had told a gathering at the ICWA, "India's success is in Japan's best interests and Japan's success is in the best interests of India."
Abe's comeback couldn't have come at a better time for India. For one, he has taken a much more pragmatic view of Japan's nuclear policy in the face of the Fukushima accident than his predecessor Yoshihiko Noda who wanted to phase out nuclear power completely by 2030. Instead of shunning it altogether, he has asked to let reactors considered safe reopen. This has led to hope that talks with India could resume peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Abe won despite the popular sentiment against nuclear power. "Our focus should have been on renewable energy but Abe is a short-sighted man," mayor of Minamisouma city, Katsunobu Sakurai, said. Minamisouma was one of the worst affected areas on the Pacific coast by the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami and its nuclear fallout.
Abe's hawkish stand on China (he recently described Japan's position on Senkaku islands dispute as too reserved) is not going to harm India either at a time when the focus of the world has shifted to the Asia-Pacific in the face of Beijing's growing assertiveness in the region.
It remains to be seen though how quickly Abe can move to implement some of the controversial issues on his agenda, like his intent to rebuild ties with the US by "exercising the right to collective self defence". He wants Japan to be able to militarily defend its allies who are attacked by tweaking the interpretation of Japan's constitution, if not the constitution itself.
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