India and Japan share core values and interests
The last mile push that negotiations on the India-Japan civil nuclear energy cooperation have received, in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Japan, will hopefully allow both parties to finally close the deal. If completed, the agreement will be the high point of the much anticipated September visit; it will be a big ticket deliverable befitting a high-profile bilateral. In fact, ever since Mr Modi was sworn into office in May, policy wonks have been expecting major developments on the India-Japan front. The Prime Minister has a personal relationship with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, who shares his nationalist vision and is also a long-standing friend of India. It has almost been a given that the Modi Government would build on the progresses made by the previous Manmohan Singh regime and take the India-Japan relationship to new heights. But since there has not been a lot of substance to support the hype surrounding the bilateral in recent months — even the other big ticket project relating to the sale of ShinMaywa US-2 amphibian rescue aircraft is stuck in the pipeline — visible progress on the nuclear deal will be refreshing. The agreement has been in the works for years now and most of the contentious issues have been resolved. Only the fine print needs to be ironed out. This is where a bit of political support can help. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj discussed the matter with her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the East Asia summit, and Tokyo is already sending a top-level diplomat to complete the negotiations. From the Indian side, the deal is almost done. However, there are irritants from the Japanese side, particularly objections raised by Mr Kishida himself. The Foreign Minister, who represents Hiroshima, has demanded additional guarantees against India testing nuclear weapons, even though New Delhi has unilaterally put a moratorium on such tests.
On the plus side, bilateral trade between India and Japan is set to increase significantly. It has been on the upswing in recent years, marking an 80 per cent rise in just five years. However, as the Indian economy gains strength under the Modi regime, bilateral trade is expected to climb up to $25 billion from the current $18 billion by the end of this year. Also on the anvil is greater cooperation in the infrastructure development sector. Economic progress in India won't be possible unless the country's infrastructural core is strengthened. Mr Modi will enlist the support of Japan, a country that is already a partner in India's development processes. For example, Japanese investment was crucial to the Delhi Metro project while the proposed dedicated freight corridor connecting Delhi and Mumbai is an India-Japan joint venture as well.
In the security arena also, cooperation between India and Japan is being strengthened. Both Asian powers share similar commitments to peace and democracy, and have a common interest in keeping the Indo-Pacific safe and open for business. Greater collaboration between the two can put at ease smaller countries in the region that feel threatened by China's ‘aggressive’ policies — which, of course, are also a matter of concern in both New Delhi and Tokyo.