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.
INDO PACIFIC REGION:
The idea of the Indo-Pacific: It is a relatively new idea. The Indo-Pacific region only started to gain widespread attention about ten years ago, but since then, it has grown significantly. The realisation that the Indian Ocean and the Pacific are connected strategic theatres is one of the elements that influences the use of the phrase. Asia is also currently the zone of gravity. Because the Pacific and Indian oceans offer the sea lanes, there exist maritime routes. The great majority of global trade passes via these waters. Trade literally travelled across the Atlantic before the Cold War because that was where the universe’s centre of gravity was located. Instead of India, the earlier phrase Asia-Pacific was used. During the Cold War, many people utilised this catchphrase. The “Indo-Pacific” moniker highlights how important India is to the new system. The Indo-Pacific area faces significant risks from terrorism and the worry that one particular country in the region would start to assert itself. The United States, China, Japan, and India have the four largest economies in the Indo-Pacific region. Different parties have different ideas about what is meant by the term “Indo-Pacific.” India views the area as being open, balanced, inclusive, and integrated. India frequently emphasises the strategic connections, shared difficulties, and opportunities between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Since the United States views the Indo-Pacific as being free and open, it emphasises the importance of regional standards or norms of behaviour and strives to lessen China’s influence there. The ASEAN nations have included China in order to give it some stakeholdership and to look at potential areas of cooperation because they regard the Indo-Pacific region as a consociational model. India’s perspective on the Indo-Pacific region: Close allies of India include the US, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia, who define the Indo-Pacific as the Asia-Pacific plus India. India is now part of the Asia-Pacific strategic architecture. They essentially want India to be present in the South and East China Seas to compete with China. India, however, wants to work together to create a structure that will bring about peace and stability in the region. The states need to work together to establish a common rules-based structure for the area so that everyone can live in prosperity and security. The Indo-Pacific area is viewed as emancipated and welcoming by India. Everyone with an interest in the region is included, including every country in the area. The territory between the coasts of Africa and America is taken into account when calculating India’s geographic size. India is in favour of an Indo-Pacific trading environment that is governed by rules and is open, balanced, and stable so that all countries can profit from trade and investment. The nation anticipates the same thing from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). India, not China, prefers an ASEAN that is cohesive rather than fragmented. China attempts to implement the “divide and rule” conquest tactic by pitting some ASEAN members against one another. India does not share the American view of the Indo-Pacific, which aims to restrain Chinese dominance. India is more interested in finding methods to cooperate with China. India supports the democratisation of the area. The place used to look almost exactly like a lake in America. However, there are concerns that the region may now become predominately Chinese. In this context, the Scarborough Shoal issue is used as an illustration. India opposes any member of the region achieving hegemonic supremacy. To prevent China from taking over the region, India takes part in trilaterals like India-Australia-France and India-Australia-Indonesia. China: A Challenge or a Threat? China has traditionally been a threat to the nations in the Asia-Pacific in addition to currently being a threat to Indian interests in the Indian Ocean. The distance between the Indian coast and the Chinese-controlled port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka is only a few hundred kilometres. China is, in a way, colonising the region by providing military hardware to India’s neighbours, such as submarines to Myanmar, frigates to Sri Lanka, equipment to Bangladesh, and weapons to Thailand. ASEAN: Because some of its members have been influenced by China, there is a danger that ASEAN’s unity in support of the Indo-Pacific idea could be compromised. India’s relations with ASEAN are further jeopardised by the fact that China is the largest trading partner in the area and can hardly be ignored by the entire association. The centre of the Indo-Pacific is Southeast Asia, and ASEAN is significant to India, particularly in light of its Act East Policy. The ASEAN nations understand how crucial India’s presence in the region is as a counterbalance to China. India and China share similar objectives in a variety of areas, such as globalisation, climate change, etc., despite their major disparities. China and India are members of the BRICS, the SCO, as well as other international organisations. Given China’s significance in the Indo-Pacific, it is believed that China poses more of a threat to India than a threat to its position. How to Move Forward: In line with international law, all countries in the area should be given the same rights to use the common sea and airspace, which calls for unimpeded commerce, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Connectivity must be built up throughout the region based on the principles of preserving territorial integrity and sovereignty, consultation, good governance, openness, viability, and sustainability. Security in the Indo-Pacific region depends on marine domain awareness (MDA). MDA implies thorough awareness of any maritime operation that may have an impact on the environment, economy, or security. Multipolarity: It is essential that the nations in the region uphold security and enjoy law and order. Additionally, this will enable multipolarity in the area. India is expected to step up and provide the weaker nations in the region more options, both militarily and economically. India should try to accommodate their requirements. India needs a potent navy, international diplomacy, and commercial relations with other countries to handle the issues in the Indo-Pacific