Japan
occupies a large space in Manmohan Singh’s heart, and he has logged
enough frequent flyer miles to Tokyo to prove it. When he lands in Tokyo
tomorrow, Singh is certain to get the kind of reception that will show
Japan reciprocates in full measure.
PM introduced a new element during the Depsang crisis with China to announce he would stay an extra day in Japan. While that in itself would not have scared the Chinese, the growing closeness between India and Japan has added new worry lines to Beijing. Not a bad thing, both for India and Japan, eventhough the “softies” in the UPA carry a fatal attraction for China and Pakistan.
With Shinzo Abe back in power in Japan with a convincingmandate and a will to resuscitate Japan from its “lost decades”India has a unique opportunity. Over the next couple of days, PM will see a lot of economic talk. Abenomics Abe’s three step plan to revive Japanese economy appears to be working, despite possible pitfalls in the future. Japan’s flagship investment in India DMIC and a new Bangalore-Chennai corridor should revive India’s manufacturing fortunes. So far, India has made the right noises, and even been helpful.
But it will be in the area of security and the strategic future of Asia that the two countries can make a difference. Its time India came out of the closet to strengthen other countries in the region, Indonesia, Vietnam and the real power in Asia, Japan.
If India is looking East, Japan is looking west. The natural meeting point is Myanmar, where both countries have invested heavily to keep this country from falling into a Chinese honey-trap. This is a good news story of two Asian giants helping Myanmar out of the suds, keeping its dignity intact and securing our strategic future. Its a no-brainer, and needs South Block to engage more fully with Japan’s foreign office. Japanese officials complain Indiadoesn’t give them the time of day. Manmohan Singh should change that.
Abe’s big move will be on changing Japan’s constitution. He wants to change Article 9 (known as the pacifist clause) to make the SDF into a normal military. The fact that China has increased its military spending 30 times in the last 23 years should be ample reason. The potential change has divided Japanese society and is scaring the daylights out of China and even US.
India, so vocal on strategic autonomy should pause before accepting the western narrative. Thanks to NetajiSubhash Chandra Bose and INA, India has a different historical narrative of a military Japan. India may not becalled upon to bare its heart on the issue, but India should be clear which side of the debate it should be on. A stronger Japan is good for India.
PM introduced a new element during the Depsang crisis with China to announce he would stay an extra day in Japan. While that in itself would not have scared the Chinese, the growing closeness between India and Japan has added new worry lines to Beijing. Not a bad thing, both for India and Japan, eventhough the “softies” in the UPA carry a fatal attraction for China and Pakistan.
Japan has the kind of technological
and innovation heft Indianeeds in spades. Acknowledging this, PM once
famously listed three of India’s relationships he described as
“transformational” US, Japan and Germany that if India used these
relationships wisely, they could help transform our nation. And then he
fell silent.
With Shinzo Abe back in power in Japan with a convincingmandate and a will to resuscitate Japan from its “lost decades”India has a unique opportunity. Over the next couple of days, PM will see a lot of economic talk. Abenomics Abe’s three step plan to revive Japanese economy appears to be working, despite possible pitfalls in the future. Japan’s flagship investment in India DMIC and a new Bangalore-Chennai corridor should revive India’s manufacturing fortunes. So far, India has made the right noises, and even been helpful.
But it will be in the area of security and the strategic future of Asia that the two countries can make a difference. Its time India came out of the closet to strengthen other countries in the region, Indonesia, Vietnam and the real power in Asia, Japan.
India should not waste its time
looking for Japanese endorsement for Kashmir or Arunachal Pradesh from
Japan, though many officials will tell you this is why we’re
kindareticent with them. Instead India should be more helpful on the
Senkaku/Diaoyu issue because if China gets away with one, it will be
unstoppable everywhere else.
With Abe, the prospect of reopening the nuclear story is brighter
the upper house elections in July will signal if his nuclear ambition
has popular approval. That should signal India to resume civ-nuke
negotiations, a Japanese deal is imperative for India to buy nuclear
reactors or supplies from France, US, pretty much everybody.
The high seas will be where India and Japan will really bond.The
two countries will do Malabar-type exercises off the Arabian Sea, and
India will buy Japan’s first military export US2, possibly the world’s
best search and rescue amphibious aircraft for the high seas. India is
doing it for the wrong reasons, scared of China, India opted out of
quadrilateral exercise, instead going for small scale bilaterals.
Cooperating on the seas was Abe’s vision in the first place. Speaking in Delhi in 2011, when he was out of power, he said simply, “Please let your navy meet the Japanese naval force more often at sea...Our two navies can exchange flag signals. They can speak with each other ... The Americans may watch us performing small exercises, which is OK with all of us. Even the Chinese may fly over us to see what is going on, which is more than welcome.” Indian ships now hang out with the Japanese in their naval base in Djibouti. India should welcome the Japanese in the Andaman-Nicobar Islands. These islands are crucial, not merely as India’s security posts, but also to maintain security of sea lanes on the Straits of Malacca, and freedom of navigation in South China Sea.
Cooperating on the seas was Abe’s vision in the first place. Speaking in Delhi in 2011, when he was out of power, he said simply, “Please let your navy meet the Japanese naval force more often at sea...Our two navies can exchange flag signals. They can speak with each other ... The Americans may watch us performing small exercises, which is OK with all of us. Even the Chinese may fly over us to see what is going on, which is more than welcome.” Indian ships now hang out with the Japanese in their naval base in Djibouti. India should welcome the Japanese in the Andaman-Nicobar Islands. These islands are crucial, not merely as India’s security posts, but also to maintain security of sea lanes on the Straits of Malacca, and freedom of navigation in South China Sea.
If India is looking East, Japan is looking west. The natural meeting point is Myanmar, where both countries have invested heavily to keep this country from falling into a Chinese honey-trap. This is a good news story of two Asian giants helping Myanmar out of the suds, keeping its dignity intact and securing our strategic future. Its a no-brainer, and needs South Block to engage more fully with Japan’s foreign office. Japanese officials complain Indiadoesn’t give them the time of day. Manmohan Singh should change that.
Abe’s big move will be on changing Japan’s constitution. He wants to change Article 9 (known as the pacifist clause) to make the SDF into a normal military. The fact that China has increased its military spending 30 times in the last 23 years should be ample reason. The potential change has divided Japanese society and is scaring the daylights out of China and even US.
India, so vocal on strategic autonomy should pause before accepting the western narrative. Thanks to NetajiSubhash Chandra Bose and INA, India has a different historical narrative of a military Japan. India may not becalled upon to bare its heart on the issue, but India should be clear which side of the debate it should be on. A stronger Japan is good for India.
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