India, Japan craft close and meaningful ties
The symbolism of the Japanese Prime Minister reviewing the Republic Day military parade in New Delhi on Sunday was immense and unmistakable. The Constitution of Japan famously renounces that country's right to wage war to settle international disputes but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to re-write this post-war pacifist document. His efforts, which must be viewed against the backdrop of an assertive China, have got him the tag of an ultra-nationalist by the West that is largely reluctant to displease Beijing. But India has rightly swum against the tide and signalled, in no uncertain terms, that it supports Japan's emergence as a ‘normal' military power. In this, New Delhi and Tokyo's shared and immediate geo-strategic concerns vis-à-vis China have, of course, played an important role but let us not ignore the fact that the two have historically stood by each other.
For instance, the Indian jurist, Radhabinod Pal, was the only one out of 11 Allied justices who argued against punishing top Japanese wartime leaders at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He acknowledged the atrocities committed by the Japanese forces but also slammed the trial as a “sham employment of legal process for the satisfaction of a thirst for revenge”. One of the suspects at that trial was Nobusuke Kishi, Mr Abe's grandfather. Kishi was not formally charged and went on to become the Prime Minister of Japan in 1957. That year, he also travelled to New Delhi (before going to Washington, DC,) and was warmly received here by Jawaharlal Nehru. This was a time when Japan was an international pariah, but was still embraced with open arms by India. In the late 1950s, India became one of the earliest recipients of Japan's Overseas Development Assistance and till date enjoys a lion’s share of the Japanese aid pie.
Indeed, Japanese investment in India's infrastructure development sector has been one of the driving forces of the India-Japan bilateral in recent years. The Delhi Metro, mostly funded by low-interest Japanese loans, is a great example, and its success has paved the way for other projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the Chennai-Bangalore rail project. But even before these mega projects came into the picture, Japanese brands like Honda and Suzuki have been household names in India for decades. It is true that economic cooperation stagnated in the recent past, but the 2012 bilateral trade agreement has reversed that trend.
looking to the future, it is defence cooperation that is expected to significantly contribute to the emerging relationship. Counter-terrorism, anti-piracy efforts and maritime security will be key areas. There is already cooperation between the navies of both countries and now there is a focus on bringing the two air forces closer. Talks of an India-Japan-US trilateral are also gaining ground. Importantly, defence trade is emerging as a focus point. Japan is expected to close with India its biggest military deal in four decades with the sale of 140 ShinMaywa US-2i aircraft which will boost India's naval aviation capabilities. It will also be a landmark in Tokyo's efforts to shed its post-war ban on weapons trade, and inject a fresh lease of life into the ailing Japanese economy.