Introduction:
Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has been assassinated yesterday during a political rally in Japan.
Additionally, in 2022, Japan and India will celebrate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.
On April 28, 1952, India and Japan established diplomatic ties.
Japan-India Relations:
Historical:
Beginning with the visit of the Indian monk Bodhisena in 752 AD, the relationship between India and Japan has a lengthy history founded in spiritual affinities as well as strong cultural and civilizational linkages.
Swami Vivekananda, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, JRD Tata, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and Judge Radha Binod Pal are notable Indians who have ties to Japan in modern times.
Diplomatic:
In 1952, India and Japan established diplomatic ties.
There were a number of high-level exchanges in the first ten years after diplomatic relations were established, including the visit to India in 1957 by the Japanese Prime Minister.
Japan was one of the few nations to help India with its balance of payments problem in 1991.
The 2017-founded Act East Forum will act as a platform for India-Japan cooperation under the auspices of Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision” and India’s “Act East Policy.”
Investments and projects:
Four agreements between India and Japan demand Tokyo’s support for health care initiatives in India that are sponsored through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) programme.
The “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP)” programme provides funding for development projects created to satisfy the various essential requirements of people residing in developing nations.
In addition to actively collaborating with India on infrastructure projects in third countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Japan has invested 1,600 crores in development projects in the northeastern states of India.
The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which enables India and Japan to exchange goods and services for their respective armed forces, was also inked in September.
Both countries have outlined a plan for growing their Special Strategic and Global Partnership in the post-COVID era.
The Japanese prime minister recently visited India and pledged to invest $42 billion (about Rs 3,20,000 crore) there over the next five years as the two countries finalised a number of collaborations and agreements to strengthen their ties.
Relationships in the economy and in business:
Given the complimentary structure of the two Asian economies, there is a tonne of room for expansion in the economic ties between Japan and India.
India’s large and expanding market, as well as its resources, particularly its human resources, have increased Japan’s interest in the nation.
In August 2011, India and Japan’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) went into effect.
The agreement, which covers not just trade in products but also services, the movement of people, investments, intellectual property rights, customs procedures, and other trade-related problems, is the most comprehensive of its kind that India has ever signed.
Since 1958, Japan has been the main source of bilateral loans and aid for India, making it the latter country.
For the fiscal year 2019–20, bilateral trade between the two countries reached a total of $11.87 billion (April–December).
Japan imported goods at US$ 7.93 billion while exporting goods to India worth US$ 3.94 billion.
Petroleum products, chemicals, elements, compounds, non-metallic mineral ware, fish and fish preparations, metalliferous ores and scrap, clothes and accessories, iron and steel products, textile yarn, fabrics, and machinery are a few of India’s most important exports to Japan.
Machines, electrical machinery, iron and steel products, plastics, non-ferrous metals, auto components, organic chemicals, metal producers, etc. are among the major Japanese imports into India.
Defence:
Over time, the India-Japan Defense and Security Partnership has developed into a crucial tenet of the two countries’ relations.
Growing strategic convergence has increased the effectiveness of our engagements, and our shared beliefs on issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region’s peace, security, and stability have increased the importance of those engagements.
The “Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation between Japan and India” was released by the two leaders in October 2008, during Prime Minister Singh’s visit to Japan.
The “2+2” summit, the annual Defense Ministerial Interaction, and the Coast Guard-to-Coast Guard communication are a few of the forums for security and defence discussions between Japan and India.
The Japanese and Indian armed services collaborate to organise the bilateral exercises JIMEX, SHINYUU Maitri, and Dharma Guardian. Additionally, both nations take part in the Malabar exercise with the USA.
Technology & Science:
The two nations’ S&T collaboration was formalised by the 1985 Inter-Governmental Agreement.
The India-Japan Digital Partnership (IJDP) was established during PM Modi’s visit to Japan in October 2018 in order to broaden both current areas of cooperation and new initiatives within the context of cooperation in S&T/ICT, with a stronger emphasis on “Digital ICT Technologies.”
Three joint laboratories between Japan and India in the fields of ICT (AI, IoT, and Big Data) as well as the launch of the DST-JSPS Fellowship Program for young academics are recent projects.
Healthcare:
In order to adapt AHWIN’s story for AYUSHMAN Bharat, the Japanese organisation ASHWIN and the Indian AYUSHMAN Bharat Program collaborated.
Japanese-Asian Community:
The composition of the Indian community has changed as a result of the recent influx of numerous professionals, including IT specialists, engineers working for Indian and Japanese firms, as well as authority in management, finance, education, and S&T research.
QUAD Grouping:
India and Japan’s bilateral collaboration has grown in the Indo-Pacific area, both directly and through the Quad grouping.
A “free, open, and prosperous” Indo-Pacific area is the shared goal of India, the US, Japan, and Australia in their informal Quad strategic conversation.
