India and Japan: News and Discussion

[ramana]

For a historical perspective

Secret Weapons & WW2 - Japan in the Shadow of Big Science
University Press of Kansas | 2005 | ISBN: 0700613838 | 335 Pages |


The atomic bomb. Rocket-propelled bombs. Jet propulsion. Radar. By failing to develop effective programs for such "secret weapons," Japan increased the probability that it could not triumph over its more advanced enemies. While previous writers have focused primarily on strategic, military, and intelligence factors, Walter Grunden underscores the dramatic scientific and technological disparities that left Japan vulnerable and ultimately led to its defeat in World War II.

Grunden's fascinating analysis of this fundamental flaw in the Japanese war effort seamlessly weaves together science, technology, and military history to provide an entirely unique look at a crucial but understudied aspect of World War II. Comparing the science and weapons programs of all the major combatants, he demonstrates that Japan's failure was nearly inevitable, given its paucity of strategic resources, an inadequate industrial base, the absence of effective centralized management to coordinate research, military hostility toward civilian scientists, and bitter inter-service rivalries. In the end, Japan could not overcome these obstacles and thus failed to make the transition to the kind of "Big Science" it needed to ward off its enemies and dominate the Far East.

After embracing defeat in WWII, Japan has acquired the sinews of war and is ready unnder Abe to reemerge as a world player.

[SSridhar]

Japanese Students Help to Build Homes in Uttarakhand

A mini army of Japanese students has just finished helping to build modest homes and a community centre in this hilly region that was devastated in the Kedarnath floods last June.

A total of 43 young women and 30 young men carried sand and boulders from near the Mandakini river in the valley here up a winding mountainous path, literally sprinting up and down, from morning until evening.

Half-a-dozen girls and boys used shovels to dig out sand and fill jute bags, which were passed from one Japanese student to another, like in a relay race, all the way up the hill — some 350 metres above the river.

The sand was piled in a corner of a temple ground in this village. Small and large stones, also ferried by hand, were placed around the sand like a protective wall.

It was clearly no easy task. The Japanese — aged 18 to 23 — sweated away despite the pleasant weather as they slogged for four consecutive days, wearing loose fitting workmen’s clothes, gloves and cloth caps. Some had facemasks to keep away the dust.

A few laid stones and put cement as they took part in building simple but earthquake-resistant two-room houses funded by Mata Amritanandamayi.

Nagahiro Akiyama, 22-year-old from Fukushima said: “I was in Andhra Pradesh two years ago and was shocked to see how the poor lived. Life for the poor in India is so different from the way we Japanese live. We also want to give Indians some unforgettable memories.”

Akiyama said each student spent around $1,800 — earned from doing part-time work in Japan — to fly to India during a two-week recess. They will go back to studies on their return to Japan on Friday.

Kaneko Yasuyuki of Osaka, 21, added: “If people are suffering, I want to help.”

The 60 families in Batwari Sonar village were more than impressed.

“It is fascinating to see these Japanese do so much for us,” said Vikas Lingwal, a 20-year-old village resident who joined them in the voluntary work. “We need to emulate their discipline and team spirit.”

The youngsters are from the Japan-based International Volunteer University Students Association. Activist Mukesh said the Japanese had no grouse as they were squeezed into the only hotel in the region that survived last year’s terrible disaster. Three to five students occupied every room.

They ate the simple rice and dal served to them — along with an occasional sweet dish.

“My god, these girls are so pretty. I hope they don’t get dark working under the sun,” said Rumi Devi, a woman in her 40s.

As a parting gift, the Japanese cleaned up the village on the fifth day, removing garbage and filth. “We are really going to miss them” Sahil Sajwan, a 17-year-old resident said. —IANS

Japanese students with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.— Photo: Virender Singh Negi, Courtesy The Hindu

[member_19686]

J Tech Innovation Evolution - ShinMaywa US

http://bestofnhk.tv/?show=J%20Tech%20In ... 202210.flv

Documentary since there is talk of buying it.

[kmkraoind]

Japan Mulls Boosting Immigration to Stem Population Decline

The Japanese government has unveiled a radical plan of allowing 200,000 immigrants a year to settle in Japan to stem a sharp decline in the population.

Japan has a population of 127.2 million, but that is expected to drop to 42.9 million by 2110 if the birthrate remains as low as it is now. The number is smaller than Japan's population in 1912 of 50 million.

Singapore has implemented a similar policy since 2000.

The Japanese government believes that simply boosting the country's own birthrate would no longer be enough to maintain a population of around 100 million, the level deemed necessary for Japan to remain competitive. As of 2012, Japan's total fertility rate was 1.41 children, which is higher than Korea's 1.24 but not sufficient to keep its population at the current level.

Going by West' experience, Indian immigrants are best, both in terms of assimilation and quality of man-brain power. Most of all, least trouble makers.

If India-Japan does not take some pro-active steps, the immigration situation will act as natural advantage to SE nations such as China, Korea, Vietnam, etc. What are the pro-active steps that needs to be taken by Indo-Japan govts.
1. Establish one Japanese language school (free courses) in every dist or a city with above 2 million population.
2. If we liberalize education sector, special concessions should be given to Japanese universities to open their universities/colleges in India.
3. Japan govt should increase number of (x10-20) scholarships given to Indian students.

[member_19686]

^^

Yeah these reports & proposals come out periodically but are quietly shelved as the Japanese are not that stupid, most likely this will be the same.

Japan had trouble assimilating a couple of hundred thousand part Japanese immigrants from Brazil who ended up with higher crime, unemployment, and crime rates and were given incentives to go back to Brazil. Then there are the Zainichi Koreans who refuse to assimilate despite being in the country for 3 generations & Chinese illegals.

I am sure they can get along fine without the contributions of outstanding Indians like Mr. Owaisi & his thunderous speeches on how the Emperor is a Kaffir who needs to come to Islam.

Neither are other NE Asian countries such as SK going to allow foreigners to flood in, especially after seeing what is happening in Europe.

[Agnimitra]

Brahma Chellaney -
Asia’s emerging democratic axis

Abe, an admirer of India, has been the main driver of the Indo-Japanese entente, investing substantial political capital in forging closer ties on the recently articulated premise that these relations hold “the greatest potential of any bilateral relationship anywhere in the world.” In his 2007 book “Toward a Beautiful Country: My Vision for Japan,” Abe said it would not surprise him if “in another decade, Japan-India relations overtake Japan-U.S. and Japan-China ties.”

Today no other leader of a major power underlines the centrality of building strategic bonds with India as Abe does.

[Suraj]

I have to agree with Surasena on this. It'll be a long time before Japan welcomes massive inward migration. Despite the issue of the Zainichi Koreans, the Koreans themselves are little better in this regard. They'll probably turn to a combination of automation and encouraging an increased birth rate.

[sanjaykumar]

Female participation in the Japanese labour force is below western norms, providing a pool of some tens of millions over 1 or 2 decades.

[Vadivel]

^^

Yeah these reports & proposals come out periodically but are quietly shelved as the Japanese are not that stupid, most likely this will be the same.

Japan had trouble assimilating a couple of hundred thousand part Japanese immigrants from Brazil who ended up with higher crime, unemployment, and crime rates and were given incentives to go back to Brazil. Then there are the Zainichi Koreans who refuse to assimilate despite being in the country for 3 generations & Chinese illegals.

I am sure they can get along fine without the contributions of outstanding Indians like Mr. Owaisi & his thunderous speeches on how the Emperor is a Kaffir who needs to come to Islam.

Neither are other NE Asian countries such as SK going to allow foreigners to flood in, especially after seeing what is happening in Europe.

I second this, the assimilation of SDRE into the japanese will be tad difficult, there is big difference in culture,language and practices. The Japanese society has a very strict code of conduct for practically everything, and japanese is not easy to learn either.

[member_19686]

^^

It is not just Indians because once the gates are opened the leftist parties like DPJ will import anyone for vote bank purposes. They even proposed allowing foreigners to vote in local elections with an eye on the Zainichi vote bank but the proposal was fortunately defeated.

Initially for example it might be allowing highly qualified Indians & Vietnamese to come in but in time it will degenerate into debates about the yearly quota of Ugandan gays & Paki Ahmadiyyas, after all this is what happened in many Western countries.

Abe is a Shinto nationalist like almost all Japanese patriots & they have a problem with the destructive virus known as secularism which was imposed by Americans as the paving ground for Japan's eventual Christianization. Now considering this & the history of Christian destructiveness in Japan, it would be extremely foolish of Abe to allow in mass immigration which would also include Christians & Muslims.

Throughout the year thousands of Shinto rituals & festivals take place in Japan, in many of these the entire local community comes together to participate, school kids go to shrines to help out (Shinto nationalists managed to get laws against this imposed by Americans struck down 5 years ago. See school kids helping out in shrine festival preparations in Kyoto here: http://youtu.be/rRjq5ThMA14?t=1h21m45s), all new buildings including gov't one's have jichinsai ritual (like our vastu puja) done (against "secularism" but not enforced, opposed by leftists & < than 1% Xtians). Hindus & Vietnamese might have no problems with all this but what about Mr. Ahmed from Bangalore who managed to get in as an immigrant?

Once Japan receives enough benefits of immigration, some in the community will decide to participate in these festivals by throwing stones at the kaffirs as they do in India:

Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPLr02gRb0

Mikoshi Event-Gion Matsuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgsYmVL4FJA

At a time when things on Abe's domestic agenda include restoring Shinto to its natural & proper role, he would have to be mildly retarded to allow mass immigration.

Your civilization is more important than total GDP.

[SSridhar]

Japan Looks at Kerala for Tourism & IT Push - Business Line

Japan is exploring opportunities to cooperate with Kerala in IT and tourism sectors, according to Takeshi Yagi, Japanese Ambassador to India.

The tourism and IT are the engines of growth of Kerala’s economy and several Japanese companies are looking to expand their operations in South India, considering the presence of more Japanese citizens working in the region compared to rest of the country, he said.

The Japanese Ministry of Economy and Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japan Tourism and Indian Ministry of Communication and IT had already started joint working group on IT and electronics last year, he said.

Yagi was here to inaugurate the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce Kerala (Injack), a new, not-for-profit organisation to connect SMEs in Kerala with Japan.

He expressed the hope that the new organisation would go a long way in changing Kerala’s SME landscape. The organisation would groom SMEs in the State cutting across all sectors including manufacturing and services such as IT and tourism.

The organisation would soon work out the fine-print of the nature of the collaboration between the SME’s from the State and Japanese organisations. The organisation will have both corporate and individuals as members.

He said that the number of Japanese companies in India had touch 1,072 in 2013. Though there are 15 Japanese companies operating in Kerala, the number of branches set up by Japanese companies had almost doubled from 53 to 105 in the past one year.

T. Balakrishnan, President of the Chamber said that the organisation would act as a catalyst for strengthening trade relations, promote bi-lateral trade, facilitate investment and technology transfer, joint ventures, business collaborations and strategic tie-ups.

Injack will focus on strengthening opportunities for businesses in Kerala to form strategic partnerships and joint ventures with business entities in Japan.

[Prem]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/03/1 ... 1P20140317
Toyota India unit locks out workers at two plants as pay dispute drags

Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) Indian unit has declared a lockout of its workers at two car plants after strained salary negotiations spurred workers to stop production lines.Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) in a statement said it has locked out workers at the plants near Bangalore since Sunday. It did not state for how long the lockout will continue.Over the past 25 days, some workers have stopped production lines and disrupted business as the management, labour union and local government failed to reach an agreement over salaries, TKM said."The company is left with no other option but to declare a lockout of the premises to ensure the safety of its workers and management personnel," TKM said.Tokyo-based Toyota Motor spokesman Naoki Sumino said the unit and union will continue holding talks to resolve the issue.If operations are suspended, that would result in a production loss of 700 vehicles a day, Sumino said.TKM manufactures vehicles including the Fortuner and Innova at its 1st plant, where production started in 1997. At the 2nd plant, which opened in 2010, it makes cars including the Etios and Corolla Altis.Toyota is not the first Japanese car maker to be hit by labour relations troubles in India.In 2012, Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) unit Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MRTI.NS) closed its Manesar plant for a month after a riot that resulted in one death, over 100 injuries and a $250 million production loss.

[Prem]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/world ... .html?_r=0
Japan to Let U.S. Assume Control of Nuclear Cache

THE HAGUE — Japan will announce Monday that it will turn over to Washington more than 700 pounds of weapons-grade plutonium and a large quantity of highly enriched uranium, a decades-old research stockpile that is large enough to build dozens of nuclear weapons, according to American and Japanese officials.The announcement is the biggest single success in President Obama’s five-year-long push to secure the world’s most dangerous materials, and will come as world leaders gather here on Monday for a nuclear security summit meeting. Since Mr. Obama began the meetings with world leaders — this will be the third — 13 nations have eliminated their caches of nuclear materials and scores more have hardened security at their storage facilities to prevent theft by potential terrorists. Japan’s agreement to transfer the material — the amount of highly enriched uranium has not been announced but is estimated at 450 pounds — has both practical and political significance. For years these stores of weapons-grade material were not a secret, but were lightly guarded at best; a reporter for The New York Times who visited the main storage site at Tokaimura in the early 1990s found unarmed guards and a site less-well protected than many banks. While security has improved, the stores have long been considered vulnerable.Iran has cited Japan’s large stockpiles of bomb-ready material as evidence of a double standard about which nations can be trusted. And last month China began publicly denouncing Japan’s supply, in apparent warning that a rightward, nationalistic turn in Japanese politics could result in the country seeking its own weapons.
At various moments right-wing politicians in Japan have referred to the stockpile as a deterrent, suggesting that it was useful to have material so that the world knows Japan, with its advanced technological acumen, could easily fashion it into weapons.
The nuclear fuel being turned over to the United States, which is of American and British origin, is a fraction of Japan’s overall stockpile. Japan has more than nine tons of plutonium stored in various locations and it is scheduled to open in the fall a new nuclear fuel plant that could produce many tons more every year. American officials have been quietly pressing Japan to abandon the program, arguing that the material is insufficiently protected even though much of it is in a form that would be significantly more difficult to use in a weapon than the supplies being sent to the United States.
Continue reading the main story
Mr. Obama’s initiative to lock down plutonium and uranium around the world was supposed to have been just the first step in an ambitious agenda to seek “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” as he said in Prague in 2009. Now, the downturn in relations with Russia has dashed hopes of mutual reductions in the world’s two largest arsenals. At the same time, North Korea has resumed its program, Pakistan and India are modernizing their weapons, and the Senate has not taken up any of the treaties Mr. Obama once described as vital.The result is that nuclear security — eliminating or locking down nuclear material — may be the biggest element of Mr. Obama’s nuclear legacy. The only other aspect of his agenda that may yet come to fruition centers on Iran, where economic sanctions, covert action and diplomacy have brought Tehran to the table to negotiate over its nuclear program. But even Mr. Obama says his chances of reaching a deal are at best 50-50. “The Obama team came in thinking a lot of things would be easier than they turned out to be,” said Matthew Bunn, a professor at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. One of Mr. Obama’s major goals has been to stop the production of new supplies of nuclear material; at the last nuclear security summit meeting, in 2012, he said “we simply can’t go on accumulating huge amounts of the very material, like separated plutonium, that we’re trying to keep away from terrorists.” But Pakistan has blocked his effort to negotiate a treaty that would end the production of more material — called the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty — and it is unclear whether the summit communiqué will contain language urging other countries to disgorge their plutonium stockpiles.: Just last year Ukraine, then still under the control of the ousted president Victor Yanukovych, sent more than 500 pounds of weapons-grade uranium from a reactor back to Russia. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons — left over after the fall of the Soviet Union — two decades ago. Had the weapons and materials remained in Ukraine, the current standoff with Russia might have taken on far more dangerous dimensions.But Mr. Obama’s agenda has also run into major troubles in the Senate.
“This process has given us the opportunity to build relationships that have opened new doors to cooperation, some of which we can talk about and some of which we can’t,” said Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, who heads the effort at the National Security Council and has been negotiating with c
Of the agreement with Japan, she said: “This is the biggest commitment to remove fissile materials in the history of the summit process that President Obama launched, and it is a demonstration of Japan’s shared leadership on nonproliferation.” Ms. Sherwood-Randall said that even Russia “has continued to work on nuclear security at a professional level,” despite the tensions over Ukraine. But she conceded: “It is true that at this moment, we will not begin a new discussion about new arms control. This is not something the Russians are interested in at this time.”In fact, Russia is now modernizing its nuclear force. So is the United States: To pass the New START treaty in 2010, the administration told Congress it would spend upward of $80 billion on a “life extension” program for its existing nuclear arsenal, and it will cost far more to upgrade nuclear submarines in years ahead.

[member_19686]

Japan Ends Decades-Long Ban on Export of Weapons
By MARTIN FACKLERAPRIL 1, 2014

TOKYO — Taking his nation another step away from its postwar pacifism, the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discarded a nearly half-century ban on the export of weapons and military hardware on Tuesday, a move aimed at helping Japan assume a larger regional security role to offset China’s growing military might.

The decision, which had been under consideration for years before Mr. Abe took office, replaced the self-imposed ban dating to the late 1960s with new, still-restrictive guidelines that permit the export of weapons only to allies and partners that agree not to sell them to third nations without Japanese approval. The new guidelines will also make it easier for Japan to join multinational development projects for expensive new weapons systems, like the American-led effort to build the F-35 stealth fighter jet.

The move formalizes a change that had already begun in incremental steps a few years ago, as Japan created a growing number of exceptions to its export ban, known as the three principles. The principles were one of the most visible pillars of Japan’s post-World War II renunciation of war, along with its pacifist Constitution, which Mr. Abe has also said he wants to revise.

Adopted in 1967, the three principles originally prohibited arms sales to Communist nations, countries under United Nations sanctions and countries in armed conflict, but it eventually grew into a blanket ban on all weapons exports.

Analysts said getting rid of the principles was partly aimed at opening new markets for Japanese defense companies at a time when Japan’s own military spending, while up for the first time in a decade, remained severely constrained by ballooning budget deficits. But they said Mr. Abe had finally decided to carry out the long-discussed change to achieve a larger strategic goal: augmenting Japan’s regional influence by offering its technologically sophisticated defense hardware to other countries locked in territorial disputes with an increasingly assertive China.

Analysts described the decision as a step toward Mr. Abe’s goal of turning long-passive Japan, which has Asia’s second-largest economy after China, into a more proactive player in regional security. Japanese officials say Mr. Abe wants to do this by turning Japan into a full-fledged defense partner of the United States, which has guaranteed Japan’s security since the war but has recently been forced to cut military spending because of fiscal problems of its own.

American officials, who have long urged Japan to assume more of the defense burden, have said they would welcome a lifting of the ban.

Japan is reacting to a shifting balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region brought by a relative decline in American dominance and a rapid military buildup by China, analysts say. One of Japan’s responses has been to build military ties with nations other than the United States, including Australia and India. Analysts said ending the ban would help expand those ties by removing legal obstacles to proposed deals, including sales of Japanese-made diesel attack submarines to Australia and seaplanes to India.

Tuesday’s move will also make it easier for Japan to provide military aid to less developed Southeast Asian countries that would help them respond to Chinese claims to contested territories in the South China Sea. This strategy, known as capacity building, has also been adopted by the United States to check China’s territorial ambitions while avoiding a direct confrontation between Washington and Beijing.

Japan has already been doing this to a limited degree, by supplying civilian coast guard ships to the Philippines, which is locked in a dispute with China over control of uninhabited islands. Experts said Tuesday’s move would make it easier for Japan to provide military equipment to help not only the Philippines but also Vietnam and Indonesia enforce their claims. They said the decision may also be an early step toward Japan’s eventually forming military alliances with Southeast Asian countries or dispatching warships to jointly patrol contested waters.

Two of Japan’s neighbors were cautious in their remarks about Tuesday’s decision. A Chinese government spokesman said his country was watching the move. A spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Ministry said the change “should be carried out with the maximum level of transparency in consideration of concerns by neighboring countries,” according to the Kyodo News agency of Japan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/world ... .html?_r=1

[SSridhar]

Japan Ends Decades-Long Ban on Export of Weapons
By MARTIN FACKLER APRIL 1, 2014

TOKYO — Taking his nation another step away from its postwar pacifism, the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discarded a nearly half-century ban on the export of weapons and military hardware on Tuesday, a move aimed at helping Japan assume a larger regional security role to offset China’s growing military might.

This is a welcome move though clearly expected. Japan is methodically dismantling the shackles that had tied it down since WWII in order to become a normal nation-state. Of course, China views these moves as a throwback to Imperialist Japan days. We, Indians, should be watching for the next steps such as amending Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution that prohibits Japan from using ‘force’ to settle international issues. Abe has appointed Ambassador to France Ichiro Komatsu, a collective self defense advocate, as new head of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau purely to help achieve Abe’s desire to reinterpret Article 9 so as to allow collective self-defence. The faith in 'collective self-defence' is not an Abe creation. For decades, the Japanese government has maintained that Japan has the right to collective self-defense but cannot exercise it due to limits imposed by Article 9, which forbids the use of force to settle international disputes, because doing so would go beyond the minimum necessary to defend the country. Japan has also been saying that it was willing to consider having the capability to attack enemy bases, possibly including missile facilities in North Korea. During the recent trip to Manila, Abe promised ten coast guard patrol vessels to that country. Of course, the ShinMaywa deal with India is waiting in the wings. During the recent trip to Singapore and Malaysia, Abe also spoke of deepening Japan's security relationship with ASEAN nations. In spite of heavy committments domestically and the Davos Economic Summit meet, Abe made it a point to be the Chief Guest at our Republic Day Parade. All in all, Japan is making very serious moves on military matters.

[Yogi_G]

How arrogant is the average Japanese? Do they have theories of exceptionalism like the assorted Germannic tribes? I often hear in RSS leader speeches of Japanese admiration of India for giving them concepts of karma and dharma which brought about the sense of discipline and worldview in them. Is this true?

[Singha]

a branch of the toyota group has tied up with indian orgs and opened a Sakra hospital near my house. so far its shaping up well. price is in range of manipal..which is to say not cheap but not like dilli/chennai apollo.
they seem to have posted a number of japanese officials (manager types not doctors) to oversee and train the staff in the initial phase. could see them walking around in formals, interacting with the staff, asking questions etc. even at the lab report printing counter there was a rather pretty japanese lady in formal western dress who politely asked me to take a seat with a great smile and got the job done. maybe they like mgmt trainees to get shopfloor exp on all roles and dont just drop them into a office with a laptop and PPTgiri.

one diff I noticed with other chains like manipal/apollo/fortis is everywhere including the front desk enquiry counter there is a "speak softly" placard quite apt for indic env.

[member_28539]

Yogi sir

I work with a few Japanese based out of the islands & some european immigrants. They are very vocal about their admiration for India as a nation and it's people. They love coming to our country & some have even called it a home away from home (Same for some brazilians also that i know of ).

Their dedication is very infectious & so is their view of our innovativeness...they are very open about their dislike for murica & china...they are no great fans of both Koreas as they claim both tend to copy them & their culture and tend to pass it off as their own...

Overall very nice bunch of people you would want to have on your side. Patriotism & sense of national identity is very high. Very strong physically considering I invited one of them to my JUDO practice sessions and everyone was surprised at their explosive strength & total dedication when moving in for an attack...

Regards
Joshi_Sa

[Yogi_G]

^^ thanks, but is it the overall feeling or only isolated to pockets of Japanese exposed to India?

[member_28539]

Yogi Sir,

An average Japanese is a very aware person. The flow of information is very strong & so is the family structure.
They look at us as the best possible ally for their Geo-Strategic interests as khan often has let them down on ocassions one too many and are considered unreliable due to their percieved nature of double dealing in Japan.

Their response is distictly different when meeting an Indian...till date they are very formal with my scandanavian collegues but address me a lot more differently...

Biggest thing to notice is that if you meet any Japanese from Higher Management...99% of them already have a plan of what they want to do in India & very politely embrace the menacing beauraucratic red tape here in swadesh...

Regards
Joshi_Sa

[SSridhar]

Why is Japan Important to India's Energy Security - Manish Vaid, IDSA

[member_19686]

DRAWN TOWARD INDIA: OKAKURA KAKUZŌ’S INTERPRETATION OF RÁJENDRALÁLA MITRA’S WORK IN
HIS CONSTRUCTION OF PAN-ASIANISM AND THE HISTORY OF JAPANESE ART
https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/indexableconten ... 9cbf684aac

[Cosmo_R]

Singha's Soryu class may be on their way:

"One of Japan’s responses has been to build military ties with nations other than the United States, including Australia and India. Analysts said ending the ban would help expand those ties by removing legal obstacles to proposed deals, including sales of Japanese-made diesel attack submarines to Australia and seaplanes to India."


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/world ... .html?_r=2

[SSridhar]

Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor Plan by March, 2015 - The Hindu

The comprehensive integrated master plan for development of Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor (CBIC) will be ready by March 2015, according to Masanori Nakano, Japanese Consul-General. Addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IJCCI) here on Wednesday, he said “the number of Japanese companies in India has increased by four times in recent times, of which 60 per cent pertained to manufacturing sector. This trend will continue to remain. Japanese firms are also interested in developing infrastructure projects such as Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and CBIC, among others. We are interested in increasing co-operation between the two countries.”

Venu Srinivasan, IJCCI past president, said that Tamil Nadu would be the greater beneficiary of Indo-Japan co-operation. Japanese firms such as Nissan, Yamaha and Toshiba are likely to set up their units along the proposed Chennai-Bangalore corridor. Toyota also has some investment plans for Hosur. IJCCI would set up a knowledge bank on Japan to disseminate information about Japan, said its president, N. Krishnaswami.

[SSridhar]

Japan to help setup 4 substations to boost Chennai power supply - The Hindu

Chennai will receive more electricity in a few years with four high-capacity sub-stations being planned in the city.

Now, the city and its neighbouring areas account for 3,000 megawatt (MW), equivalent to one-fourth of the State’s average demand of 12,000 MW. The figure is likely to go up in the coming years.

These substations, to be set up at Korattur, Manali, Sholinganallur and Guindy, will form part of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-aided project. Of the project cost of Rs.5,000 crore, the JICA gives Rs. 3,500 crore in assistance, with the rest coming from the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation, an official says.

Each station, with a capacity of 400 KV (kilovolt), will ensure better power flow to load centres, besides helping to achieve stability in grid operation. All the substations will be commissioned by 2017.

At present, there are four such stations, but all of them are located on the outskirts of the city: Sriperumpudur, Sunguvar Chatram, Almathi and Kalivandapattu.

Going by the rule of thumb that one 400-KV station handle the load of 750 MW, the new stations will take care of 3,000 MW. If this were to be added to the existing stations, the total will go up to 6,000 MW. Furthermore, one 400-KV station has been planned in Pulianthope, and this will be outside the JICA programme. Another in the city is also being proposed, the official says, hoping that these stations, once commissioned, will meet the requirements for 10 years.

As part of the JICA programme, there will be one more 400-KV substation, which will come up at Karamadai, on the outskirts of Coimbatore. Also, fourteen 230-kV substations will be established across the State, one-half of which will be in southern districts.

[ashish raval]

Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor Plan by March, 2015 - The Hindu

Nice one. Need more industrial corridors to get more people out of poverty quickly. Way to go. Need of the hour to develop world class infrastructure which takes into account all the human knowledge that people have accumulated in infrastructure and next generation city development.

[andy B]

http://m.thehindu.com/news/internationa ... 41398.ece/

Admiral Kawano wants India to build closer ties with Japan

The new government that will take charge in New Delhi next month has been given a clear message from Japan’s top-most naval official: Tokyo hopes the Indian political establishment – which under two terms of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has generally been cautious on boosting military ties with Japan keeping China’s concerns in mind– will do “much more” to build closer relations.

Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, Chief of Staff of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF), said his country has been “wanting very much” to re-join the bilateral Malabar sea exercises between the United States and India. Japan was last invited to join the exercise in 2007, but has subsequently been kept out after China protested the three-way exercises and suggested they were aimed at Beijing.

“We have been wanting very much to join the Malabar sea exercises, with United States and India,” Admiral Kawano said. “As I understand, the Indian Navy is keen and willing. But Indian politics is very complicated,” he said, speaking to The Hindu.

Admiral Kawano was among top naval officials from the U.S., China, Canada, France and New Zealand present at a reception Tuesday evening on board India's missile frigate INS Shivalik, which is in this northeastern Chinese port city – the headquarters of the Chinese Navy’s North Sea Fleet – to participate in multilateral maritime exercises to mark the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

“We very frequently hold exchanges with the Indian Navy, but we want to do much more,” Admiral Kawano said.

While he did not elaborate further, the Admiral appeared to be referencing the Indian government’s caution about going forward with the trilateral exercises. After a five-year hiatus, the Indian government told Japanese officials in January, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited New Delhi, that Japan would be included in exercises later this year. The change in stance comes as the UPA’s second-term comes to an end.

The Admiral’s comments about the “complicated” politics in New Delhi however suggested that from the Japanese point of view, there was still some uncertainty about how committed the Indian government was to the idea amid different prevailing views in the government.

Some officials in New Delhi acknowledge that the government may have been excessively cautious in this regard. The policy now, they say, is to actively develop and improve ties with both Japan and China. One observer noted how “tabled have turned” in the past decade, when Japan was initially focused on mending ties with China and lukewarm towards India’s proposals to enhance then-limited naval drills between coast guards.

But under Mr. Abe, ties with China have plummeted over disputed East China Sea islands and questions of wartime history.

While Admiral Kawano was hosted as a member of the 21-country Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) which was held here this week, Japan was not invited to participated in maritime exercises held on Wednesday alongside the meeting to mark the PLA Navy’s anniversary.

While the PLAN’s commander Admiral Wu Shengli met with visiting naval chiefs – he also visited India’s INS Shivalik on Tuesday – he did not hold talks with Admiral Kawano. The Chinese Defence Ministry said the reason was “a series of inappropriate actions by the Japanese government and leaders”.

Admiral Kawano said he was “very concerned” and “worried” about the implications of China’s rapidly growing military strength on the region. But Japan, he said, was taking overdue steps to boost its military – which still is called a “self-defence force” in keeping with Japan’s post-war Pacifist Constitution.

Mr. Abe wants Japan to become a “normal country” with a proper military, citing China’s rise as a prime reason. China, however, has accused him of seeking to rewrite Japan’s wartime atrocities and post-war commitments.

On Saturday, Japan broke ground on a new radar station on an island close to those disputed with China – the first such move in four decades.

“Our Navy is not small,” Admiral Kawano said. “China has 1 billion people, so it will have a sizeable navy. We plan to expand a lot more.”

Japan also wanted to expand ties with India’s “very good navy” through more exchanges and port calls.

“We are very interested to help India develop its naval technology,” he added, pointing to the recent agreement for India to purchase 15 US-2 amphibious aircraft from Japan, which will mark the first instance of Japan selling major military hardware after the Second World War.

SShridhar ji this imho is a very very important statement hope the relevant Indian establishments take note further development in this area may eventually even lead one day to a Soryu MKI in IN colours i hope!

[Philip]

I doubt a Soryu will ever enter IN service.There are other options which we are more familiar with.Sing is acquiring new U218 subs from Germany.They may prove to be more cost-effective than additional Scorpenes ,which in any case the whole lot will not arrive before this decade ends.The amphibs yes.Possibly even Japanese amphibious warship designs like its latest Izumo class "helicopter destroyer" ,actually a light carrier.More importantly than the acquisition of Japanese naval hardware is that of co-ordination between the two navies,both tactical and strategic in the Chinese/PLAN context.Certainly Indo-Japanese naval intelligence cooperation is on the cards,and may have already been established.

A visit to the Yasukuni shrine by an Indian PM is a must. We must honour the Japanese war dead who fought alongside Netaji and the INA attempting to free us of the yoke of Britsh imperialism in WW2,as well as the memory of Netaji and those INA soldiers who raised the flag of revolt just as those gallant Indian patriots ,who revolted in Singapore 100 years ago this October,an event I've posted elsewhere.It would be fitting for the next Indian PM,hopefully Mr.Modi to do the honours when he visits Tokyo.

[Prem]

Japan lawmakers visit war shrine on eve of Obama trip
China's Honey Drinker Concerned

TOKYO: Nearly 150 Japanese lawmakers paid homage at the Yasukuni war shrine on Tuesday, raising the stakes in an already tense region on the eve of Barack Obama’s visit.A cross-section of parliamentarians, including at least one cabinet minister, paid their respects at the shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead, including a number of senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes.China and South Korea see the shrine as a symbol of what they say is Japan’s unwillingness to repent of its aggressive warring last century, while the United States tries to discourage visits, which it views as unnecessary provocations.Conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stayed away from Yasukuni, having offered a symbolic gift on Monday at the start of the three-day spring festival.However, the right-leaning minister for internal affairs and communications, Yoshitaka Shindo, was among the worshippers early Tuesday, paying his second visit in 10 days.“I renew my faith in peace so that such tragedies will never be repeated. This is the belief that I always keep in mind when I come to Yasukuni Shrine,” he said, adding that he was there in a private capacity.Shindo’s grandfather was General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the figure sympathetically depicted by actor Ken Watanabe in Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima”. The mass visit will inevitably further aggravate strained ties in East Asia, and could irritate the White House, coming the day before the US president arrives on the first leg of a four-nation trip, which also includes Seoul.Washington would desperately like Japan and South Korea — its two chief allies in the region — to bury the diplomatic hatchet and stand together against Beijing’s increasingly confident regional swagger and against unpredictable Pyongyang. Abe’s own visit to the shrine on December 26 soon after a visit to Tokyo by US Vice President Joe Biden immediately sparked fury in Asia and earned him a slap on the wrist from Washington, which said it was “disappointed”.The Japanese premier’s gift on Monday provoked a Chinese charge that he was offering “a slap in the face” to Obama.Conservative lawmakers make regular trips to the shrine during spring and autumn festivals, and on the August 15 anniversary of Japan’s defeat. They say their actions are natural, and compare the site with Arlington National Cemetery in the US, where America’s war dead are honoured. “Speaking personally, my father is enshrined here,” said Hidehisa Otsuji, an upper-house lawmaker who was at Yasukuni. “The souls revered here are the people who lost their lives purely for the sake of the country.” About 160 lawmakers visited the shrine during the spring and autumn festivals last year.Sanae Takaichi, the policy chief of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, who visited the shrine as a member of the group, said the reverence by politicians should not provoke diplomatic difficulties.“It happens to be the time for the spring festival,” she told reporters. “We welcome the US president’s visit to Japan from the heart.” Chief Cabinet Secretary and Abe’s righthand man Yoshihide Suga said the government would not interfere with shrine visits by cabinet members. “When a minister visits the shrine personally, it is a matter of an individual’s freedom of faith. The government should not step into it,” he said.

[SSridhar]

. . . this imho is a very very important statement hope the relevant Indian establishments take note further development in this area may eventually even lead one day to a Soryu MKI in IN colours i hope!

The Japanese have always travelled more than half the distance in recent times, especially after Abe's takeover, in military matters with India, but as the Japanese Admiral said, it is India's wrong assumptions that have stood in the way. The Chinese never bothered about Indian sensitivities in expanding their influence trampling all over India, or in helping the NE insurgents or supplying nukes & missiles to Pakistan or increasing their presence in the IOR and now through the proposed MSR etc. We always tend to be cautious more than what is necessary. We believe that we should not anger China and play the 'status-quo' card while we must be revisionists wrt PRC. China is snug with the status-quo and is unwilling to even share boundary maps with us since 1959.

As for Soryu, I am still waiting for the decision on ShinMaywa. It is already over-delayed and I hope that in the realm of India-Japan relationship, this will receive topmost priority from the Modi government. I would want joint defence projects, possibly a new Saoryu class integrating Japanese & Indian requirements, like BrahMos.

[SSridhar]

X-post from 'Managing Chinese Threat' thread.
India-Japan-US trilateral Talks on a Higher Plane - Indrani Bagchi, ToI

Marking for the first time the growing significance of the New Delhi-Tokyo ties, a joint statement between Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Friday highlighted a trilateral dialogue between Japan, India and the US for "peace and economic prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and around the globe". The trilateral, which Japan also holds with Australia and South Korea, has become one of the most successful joint initiatives by the three countries.

It also signifies that the India-Japan relationship occupies prime mind space both in Tokyo and New Delhi. The US-Japan statement comes days after foreign secretary Sujatha Singh travelled to Tokyo for a high-level official dialogue on security and strategic issues. The US and India have been going through a rough patch in recent months as has the US-Japan relationship. But at the same time, India-Japan ties have been on a very different trajectory. The BJP's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi shares with Manmohan Singh an interest in Japan and has let it be known that he might visit Japan as one of his first overseas destinations.

The next round of the US-India-Japan trilateral is scheduled for early June. In the run-up to the meeting, India is organising a meeting of stakeholders from all three countries to start infrastructure projects in the northeast states that could be continued through Myanmar, Thailand and beyond. The idea is to build east-west connectivity to counter China's north-south links in south-east Asia.

India is also closer to buying the US-2 amphibian rescue aircraft from Japan, an agreement formalised during Abe's visit here in January. The second round of negotiations was held between Amitabh Kant, the new DIPP secretary and his Japanese counterparts. When the deal comes through, it would be the first time Japan would be exporting military hardware after World War II.

The Japanese decision to sell the US-2 to India comes even as it set out an amended three principles for export of defence equipment to other countries. Basically, this expands the ambit of Japanese defence exports to countries designated friends and allies and will help Japanese defence industry.

[Prem]

http://vajrin.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/ ... -loathing/
Narendra Modi & Shinzo Abe: What explains the Western loathing?

A stunted, lymphatic, yellow-faced heathen, with a mouthful of teeth three sizes too big for him, bulging slits where his eyes ought to be, blacking-brush hair, a foolish giggle, a cruel heart, and the conceit of the devil. . . . It is a grave question whether Japan. . . . is in the least likely to become “a world power” of the kind that Europe is likely to find useful or satisfactory. Indeed the only restraints that could be put upon her are the restraints of the Christian religion. Can she be brought to submit to them? Does she desire in her heart to submit to them? Will she ever be other than pagan and heathen and unconscionable under the surface? the answer is: No…”
- British author T. W. H. Crosland a century ago in reaction to Japanese victories against Russia during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05
“I hate Indians [Hindus]. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.”
- Winston Churchill
The above quotes encapsulate the modal attitudes of the West towards those considered heathens. Much the same attitude prevails today in sections of the Western elite whether in the frank Christian form or its various secular manifestations.With that in mind, it is not surprising to discerning Hindus to see a slew of articles in the Western media bashing both Shinzo Abe & Narendra Modi. The Anglosphere would have us believe that they are concerned about “human rights” even as they support various Sunni ghazis to overthrow secular Arab regimes. We on the other hand hold that it is merely a cover for the fear & loathing they have for any openly “pagan” civilization.Abe is a man with a mission & that mission is nothing less than the decolonization of Japan. This includes a revision of the American imposed constitution including its secularism to bring it in line with the values of Japanese civilization He is the chairman of Japan’s Rebirth (Sosei Nippon) an organization that seeks to reawaken Japanese pride in their history and culture with an emphasis on the Imperial Family and Shinto. He is also the chairman of the Shinto Political Alliance Diet Member’s Roundtable (Shinto seiji renmei kokkai giin kondankai), the Diet arm of the Shinto Political Alliance (Shinto seiji renmei, or Shinseiren). Thus in the eyes of the West he is already a “bad” man because they cannot ever tolerate an openly heathen leader.Standing up to Chinese imperialism is bad enough but it gets “dangerous” when Abe starts talking about restoring Japanese values. In the past decade, under previous LDP administrations some of the most egregious American impositions have already been overturned such as the ban on shrine visits for school children. Now with Abe in charge things might go further in this direction and we might see the reemergence of Shinto taking its natural place in Japanese politics.

The West likes its leaders compliant and working within the boundaries predetermined by them & Abe does not fit the mold. Hence the recent slew of anti-Abe propaganda pieces in the Western media which can be seen here:The rise of Modi seems to have taken the West by surprise as they never expected him to get so far after demonizing him for years in their media as some sort of Hitler and a Hindu nationalist (as if that is somehow bad). They have tried all their usual tricks such as unleashing their Christian attack dogs (note the recent letter of the Xavier’s College Principal Father Mascarenhas to the students criticizing Modi or John Dayal’s trip to the US to testify against India) and even propping up the fellowship of the broom In their own land we have seen their efforts to deny entry to Modi through lobbying by evangelicals and Muslims (once again showing the fundamental alignment of Muslims & Christians when it comes to heathens).But in spite of all this Modi has defied their expectations and seems to have captured the pulse of the nation cutting across regional and caste lines. He has also shown himself to be an able administrator who can bring development to his people. We have good data showing that Christian proselytizers thrive in the absence of governance, so what can be worse for them than a PM who will actually do his job. A strengthening of the economy will also go along with a strengthening of the Indian military with a man perceived as a Hindu nationalist at the helm.

Having one openly heathen leader in Abe is bad enough but to have Modi in addition to him is a bad dream for the usual suspects. Thus the West has real reasons to be worried and they have indeed responded with a slew of negative media articles about Modi which can be viewed here:In 2007 after the conclusion of Vibrant Gujarat summit, Modi personally went to Japan to woo investors. He was the first Chief Minister to do so and while there he met and spent time with Abe. Later that year Abe himself visited India but could not visit Gujarat due to protocol, so Modi personally went all the way to Delhi and spent time with Abe.It was during the same visit that Abe personally met and talked with the son of Radhabinod Pal, the Indian judge who stood up for the truth at the Tokyo show trials. He is widely admired even today by Japanese nationalists and has a monument dedicated to him at the Yasukuni shrine. He cast the only dissenting vote against punishing Japanese officials for war crimes, which included Abe’s grandfather Kishi. Perhaps this was one more reason for Abe’s pro-Indian stance because as early as 2007 he declared that “a strong India is in the best interest of Japan and a strong Japan is in the best interest of India.” In his 2007 book Towards a Beautiful Country: My Vision For Japan, Abe had also written that it would “not be a surprise if in another decade, Japan-India relations overtake Japan-U.S. and Japan-China ties.”More recently when Abe won the elections in Japan, Modi sent him a congratulatory message even though he was still just a Chief Minister at that time. So considering their past history, we can expect the relations between India and Japan to become even stronger. This combined with what is seen as their “heathen” credentials truly fills the usual suspects with dread. To quote one of their Japanologist (quiet like the Indologist subversionists) attack dogs:Mullins says this magnetic tug of the past is not unique to Japan. “I see Shinto fundamentalists as very similar to U.S. Christian fundamentalists and Hindu neo-nationalists,”If you set aside the obfuscation about Christian fundamentalists, it becomes obvious that the real target is the heathens and their leaders.Just as in the past, the Abrahamics cannot stand to see rival pagan powers left standing and it is all the more dreadful to them if these powers start collaborating with each other. So we can expect them to do all they can to thwart the India-Japan relationship, and any nationalist policies that can challenge the Christian Anglo-Saxon (note that David Cameron has recently reiterated that the UK is a Christian country) hegemony. May the Gods foil their designs and grant success to both Modi & Abe in their endeavors.

[sanjaykumar]

** Deleted **

[Prem]

Something We need from Japan: It can Give US actual Enegry Independence


AN ASIAN ENERGY BOOM?The Song of Fire Ice Goes On

[L]ast week a 499-ton survey vessel nosed out of the port of Sakai, once home to fabled gunsmiths and the finest makers of samurai swords in medieval Japan and today the prospective launching pad for a new technological revolution.For the next two months, the Kaiyo Maru No. 7 will survey the seafloor right off Japan’s west coast, the first step in a years-long process that could end with significant production of natural gas in Japanese waters. A promising methane hydrate site off the southeast coast was the subject of earlier surveys.
Why is Japan leading the way? Because:Japan is the epicenter of methane hydrates today not because it has so much of the resource — quite the opposite, most methane hydrates appear to be in gas-rich North America — but because it needs the resource so badly and is working faster than any other country to make fire ice a commercial proposition.Japan has grown especially desperate for new energy sources in the wake of the Fukushima shutdown. Experts say that commercial production of Japan’s methane hydrates won’t begin for another 10 or 15 years, however. But thanks to a new breakthrough, the extraction process might be cheaper than expected (though it’s still very costly). And Japan’s dispute with neighboring China won’t make things any easier. The East China Sea, where Japan is engaged in a standoff with China over a cluster of islands, is reputed to be a trove of untapped energy sources, including oil and gas as well as fire ice.Do not underestimate Japan’s wealth of technological resources, or Prime Minister Abe’s determination to beef up the nation’s military capabilities, for which a substantial energy supply is an obvious requirement. Even though the process sounds fantastical, Japan may pull it off.

[SSridhar]

This is about Japan's quest for nuclear weapons, not directly related to India-Japan relations. But, I thought this is the only thread where this can be relevantly posted.

Goin Nuclear: How Close has Japan Come - Eric Johnston, Japan Times

On Oct. 3, 1946, readers of The Atlanta Constitution woke up to a shocking front-page headline: “Japan Developed Atom Bomb; Russians Grabbed Scientists.”

What followed was a detailed account of how Japan supposedly tested an atomic bomb just three days before the Aug. 15, 1945, address by the Showa Emperor that accepted unconditional surrender and ended the war. The article was essentially an interview with one Japanese source, who spoke under a pseudonym.

The source, dubbed “Capt. Tsetusuo Wakabayashi,” claimed to have witnessed an atomic explosion near Konan, North Korea, that had been detonated by the Japanese military on Aug. 12, 1945. The story was written by David Snell, a reporter who had been released from the U.S. Army’s 24th Criminal Investigation Detachment in Seoul just weeks before and was now back at his old job.

U.S. and Japanese authorities, including Harry Kelly, a science adviser to Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur, immediately dismissed the article, saying there was no evidence to justify the story, as did other high-ranking U.S. officials and Japanese scientists at the time. Snell never revealed the true identity of his source.

Over the decades, various commentators have suggested the story was either an elaborate hoax, a misunderstanding or, possibly, U.S. propaganda designed to justify the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. No independent verification of Snell’s report has ever been made. The few investigations into the matter have concluded it’s unlikely, if not impossible, for such an event to have occurred unnoticed by the rest of the world.

However, it would later be learned that Japan’s atomic bomb program was a lot more advanced than had been publicly revealed at the end of the war. But whatever the situation was in 1945, seven decades of technological advances along with an embrace of nuclear power means that, today, no one doubts Japan has the ability to build nuclear weapons if it really wanted to. More than that, it’s a possibility that declassified U.S. reports and Japanese politicians have long acknowledged.

“Contrary to the impression conveyed by the overwhelming popular sentiment in Japan against any association with nuclear weapons, there is mounting evidence that the conservative government in Tokyo secretly contemplates the eventual manufacture of such weapons, unless international agreements intervene,” a declassified August 1957 U.S. State Department report said.

That news came as Japan was preparing to embrace nuclear power as an energy source. Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, grandfather of current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, indicated Japan’s postwar peace Constitution did not forbid a strictly defensive nuclear arsenal, setting off a storm of protest and debate.

As Japan moved to rely on nuclear power as an energy source, concerns that the country might divert nuclear fuel and technology for a weapons program mounted. In 1967, Prime Minister Eisaku Sato would be forced to declare, in his Three Non-Nuclear Principles, that Japan would not possess, produce or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons. The principles were adopted by the Diet in 1971. While they have served as the foundation of Japan’s stance on nuclear weapons ever since, they were never placed within a legal framework.

Behind the scenes, however, it was less clear as to what the government policy might be. The Foreign Ministry was reluctant to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970. It would later be revealed that a secret debate raged in the Japanese bureaucracy between 1968 and 1970 about whether or Japan should arm itself with nuclear weapons, given the fact that China now had them.

Documents showed that, in September 1969, Japan was drawing up guidelines committed to the need to have the capability to convert its nuclear technology into nuclear weapons while promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Now that it was pursuing nuclear power in earnest (the first domestic commercial nuclear reactor went into operation at the 1970 Osaka Expo), worries that Japan could also embark on a nuclear weapons program were growing.

That concern was heightened at the very top levels of the U.S. government in the late 1970s, when Japan began to look seriously at reprocessing spent conventional fuel, which could potentially be turned into weapons-grade material. In February 1977, U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale (who would later become the U.S. ambassador to Japan) met with Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda about Tokyo’s plans to build a reprocessing plant. According to a declassified memorandum, the U.S. was especially concerned about what, besides commercial reactor fuel, Japan might also produce. “Reprocessing facilities which could produce weapons-grade material are simply bomb factories,” the memorandum said.

Nearly four decades after that memorandum, the nuclear waste reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, has yet to go into operation. Designed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel from the nations’ reactors, anti-nuclear groups and nonproliferation experts, as well as International Atomic Energy Agency officials, have expressed concern about the fact that reprocessing conventional uranium fuel will generate plutonium that Japan has no clear plan for. “Japan has about 9 tons of separated plutonium domestically. The rest is held in Europe. When the Rokkasho reprocessing plant goes into full operation, it has the capacity to produce around 8 tons of separated plutonium annually,” said Robert Einhorn, senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, at a March symposium in Washington, D.C. on Japan’s plutonium capabilities.

Much of that plutonium could be enriched further and used for potentially hundreds of nuclear warheads.

After Rokkasho goes into operation, how long would it take to produce nuclear weapons? A 2006 Japanese government report estimated it might take three to five years, and cost up to ¥300 billion.

That’s much longer than the around six months some foreign media commentators were suggesting in the 1990s. But, despite the passage of almost four decades and huge advances in technology, it echoes a January 1967 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency that concluded if Japan violated international safeguards, it might test a nuclear device two years after the decision to go ahead, setting the stage for further development.

“We believe the Japanese could develop a nuclear warhead … some three to five years after the first device and have a stockpile of 75 to 100 warheads in 10 years at a total program cost of $500 (million) to $600 million,” the CIA report said.

Of course, having the ability to build nuclear weapons and possessing the necessary political will and ability to actually put them in production, test-fire them and arm the Self-Defense Forces with them are entirely different matters.

The problems are numerous and begin with domestic politics. While advocates would no doubt stress Japan would use nuclear weapons only for defense, a strong anti-nuclear sentiment running through the country, and the memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would make it all but impossible for a prime minister to secure enough votes in the Diet to approve such a program in normal peacetime conditions.

The second problem is the impact such a decision would have on Japan’s relations with its Asian neighbors as well as with the United States, which offers Japan protection in the form of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and the nuclear umbrella.

China is Japan’s largest trading partner and relations with South Korea, despite the current tension over historical issues, are growing deeper economically and culturally. Any attempt by Tokyo to produce nuclear weapons could create a huge backlash in both countries that is sure to negatively impact the domestic economy.

Nor would the United States likely welcome a nuclear-armed Japan, especially if it led to a rupture of relations with South Korea, where the U.S. also has military bases, and antagonized China.

“Japan going nuclear could set off an arms race with China, South Korea and Taiwan. Bilaterally, assuming that Japan made the decision without U.S. support, the move could indicate a lack of trust in the U.S. commitment to defend Japan,” said a February 2009 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service, which provides information to members and committees of Congress. “An erosion in the U.S.-Japan alliance could upset the geopolitical balance in East Asia.”

Then there is the larger issue of international trust in regards to promises regarding nonproliferation Japan has made, especially the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“To arm itself with nuclear weapons, Japan would have to withdraw from this international nonproliferation regime,” wrote Tetsuya Endo, a former vice chairman of Japan’s Atomic Energy Commission in a July 2007 report published by The Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies. “The consequences of becoming internationally isolated are shown all too clearly by Japan’s diplomatic situation starting from the 1930s.”

Japan imports all of the uranium used for its commercial nuclear reactors, and has a series of bilateral agreements with the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain and Australia, among others. To pursue a path of nuclear weapons production risks provoking opposition in those countries and possibly cancellation of the agreements. Given that Abe’s government is pushing hard for a restart of some of the country’s idled nuclear plants, it seems remote that Tokyo would want to risk losing access to the uranium fuel that will be needed to power them.

Practical barriers are even more problematic. Japan’s plutonium and uranium are kept under IAEA watch, and the country has a long tradition of offering inspectors full cooperation. Diverting nuclear material for any purpose other than commercial use would force Japanese engineers and technicians to change transparency standards and cooperation measures that have been established with IAEA inspectors over decades, something that would quickly be noticed by the international community long before any nuclear weapons could actually be produced.

Even assuming that, somehow, enough highly enriched uranium was to find its way into a nuclear weapons program, the next problem is: how to test the weapons? Carrying out a nuclear test either above or below ground anywhere in Japan is problematic due to the lack of available testing sites. Then there’s the domestic and international uproar that would surely follow — including likely sanctions on Japan by the United Nations.

Finally, there’s the question of how to equip Japan’s military with such weapons. James Holmes, a defense analyst and professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, suggests Japan could arm its diesel-powered submarines with nuclear-tipped missiles.

“The limiting factor for an undersea nuclear deterrent is the size of the boat,” Holmes wrote in an email exchange with The Japan Times. “Japanese Soryus are wonderful diesel boats but could never accommodate a ballistic missile the size of an American Trident. So Japan would have to either miniaturize a submarine-launched ballistic missile, come up with a larger launch platform or both.”

He also said he had a hard time envisioning a situation in which the U.S. would supply Japan with nuclear-armed surface ships or submarines.

“We’d essentially be abandoning nuclear-arms control and possibly setting loose an arms race in Asia,” he wrote.

“From a technical standpoint, surface ships’ survivability is in doubt in today’s environment; no sane leadership would make such vessels the centerpiece of nuclear deterrence,” he added.

Japan’s only viable immediate option if it takes the nuclear plunge is a boat firing nuclear-tipped cruise missiles — i.e., tactical nukes,” he wrote. “But things will have to get really, really bad in Asia before Tokyo goes down any of these routes — and worse before Washington helps it.”

Over the past couple of months, however, a major reason for all of the international speculation about whether or not Japan might intend to pursue its own nuclear weapons program appears to have been addressed.

In March, Japan announced it would return a large stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium that had been stored in the country for research purposes for decades.

“This effort involves the elimination of hundreds of kilograms of nuclear material, furthering our mutual goal of minimizing stocks of highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium worldwide, which will help prevent unauthorized actors, criminals or terrorists from acquiring such materials,” Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama said in a joint statement announcing the deal at the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague in March.

After the nuclear material arrives in the U.S., the plutonium will be prepared for final disposition. The highly enriched uranium will be reprocessed into low-enriched uranium and utilized for civilian purposes. The amount returned includes a reported 320 kg of plutonium. The exact amount of highly enriched uranium to be turned over was not announced, but unofficial estimates say it’s around 200 kg.

The deal between Abe and Obama to send the material back to America came about after U.S. pressure on Japan to do so. The reasons are twofold. First, an increasingly nervous East Asia looks at Abe and his Cabinet, many of whom have voiced support for nuclear weapons, and wonders what Japan’s intentions are. Holding on to the stockpile naturally raises questions about whether or not Japan is really planning to build a bomb.

The second concern, at least on the part of the U.S., is security at the Japanese storage sites. U.S. officials have long worried that Japan does not take the threat of possible theft at the sites, or an armed attack, seriously enough. Leaked State Department reports reveal frustrations among U.S. officials over security measures at several plants and requests for Japan to beef up its security measures, lest nuclear material or sensitive technology fall into the wrong hands.

So, the current consensus is that Japan can, but will not, produce a nuclear weapon due to the high political, social and economic costs involved — at least not in the immediate future and as long as there is no radical change in the geopolitical status quo in East Asia that Japan sees as a threat to its national interests.

The Japanese Defense Agency (now the Ministry of Defense) concluded in 1995 that the costs, political and otherwise, of building the infrastructure for a nuclear-weapons program would be exorbitant, and that the nuclear option is not a favorable one.

Better, the agency said, to keep the peace by continuing to rely on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, support the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to reform the United Nations to allow non-nuclear states such as Japan permanent membership. Nearly two decades later, despite the desire by many conservative politicians, bureaucrats, academics and media favoring Japan going nuclear, the price still remains too high.

[SSridhar]

Modi will move India closer to Japan: US Expert

Some 27 years after it was first published, Dr Walter Andersen's book The Brotherhood of Saffron, co-authored with Shridhar Damle, remains the definitive study of the sangh parivar and its dynamics in India. As a young state department official posted at the US embassy in India, and thereafter holding posts in Foggy Bottom that kept him in the India loop, Andersen has followed the evolution of the RSS and the BJP, including the rise of Narendra Modi, who he first met in Washington DC as a state department guest in the early 1990s. Dr Andersen is Washington's go-to man for matters relating to RSS and BJP, and these are busy days for him. Excerpts from the interview:

What will be the nature of Modi's ties with US and vice-versa in the backdrop of the visa flap? Is he the kind who will harbor a grudge?

Hindu nationalism in India always had a look east policy. It goes back a long way. When I met Modi, the one country he mentioned was Japan. He has already been to Japan and China and will look for significant investment from there. Not that he will ignore the US, but if I had to make a guess as to the first country he will visit, it will be Japan.

[JE Menon]

Meanwhile, on the East Asian front:

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy ... e-Russians

A nice intrusion zone diagram

[member_19686]

US may have to ‘reconsider attitude’ towards Modi-led India
A top American expert on South Asia, Stephen Cohen, said that US would have to adjust strategically, politically and economically. Tweet This
Press Trust of India | Washington | April 30, 2014 3:54 pm

The US may have to “reconsider its attitude” towards India if BJP wins power and Narendra Modi becomes prime minister, a top American expert on South Asia has said.

“Modi and his strategy, if I can summarize it…India is going to be squeaking loud and is going to be doing things, some risky, some dangerous and some positive…and I think the American policy has to reconsider its attitude towards India,” Stephen Cohen, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, at the India Project at Brookings Institution said at a panel discussion on Indian elections on Tuesday.

India under Modi, he said, is going to attract more attention and the US would have to adjust to that, strategically, politically and economically.

“I think, the big change that I see, we all thought Modi would transform India’s economy. I think, that’s true if there is a Modi government. That is going to give him (Modi) more muscle and leverage in foreign policy. And the key country is China plus Japan and South Korea. Modi has close relationship with China, Japan and South Korea and a bad relationship with the US,” Cohen told a Washington audience, which among others was addressed by Indian Ambassador to the US S Jaishankar.

“He (Modi) is going to expand this into strategic advantage for India. That is he is going to use the economic relationship with East Asia, especially China, to enhance India’s power elsewhere.

“The original Nehruvian dream to make India among the top five-six countries of the world, I think he (Modi) is going to implement that,” said Cohen who has written several books on India and is considered to be among the authoritative voices on India in the US.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... led-india/

[SSridhar]

Meet to Take Indo-Japanese Project a Step Forward, Today - The Hindu

The Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor (CBIC) project straddling three southern States and supported by the Union and Japanese governments is expected to move a step forward on May 12 when the five stakeholders meet in Chennai and finalise a development node along the route in each State.

T.K.A. Nair, Adviser to the Prime Minister, is scheduled to take stock of the pre-project developments during the high-level discussions with senior representatives of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it is learnt.

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are each to have three nodes en route and Andhra Pradesh two nodes — which would be integrated hubs of industrial, residential and commercial activity.

However, one node each will initially be developed as a model.

“At the upcoming meeting, the States will mainly project their respective node. It will be replicated at the other nodes,” an official familiar with the development told The Hindu .

Karnataka has decided on Vasant Narsapur near Tumkur as its node; Kolar and Bidadi would follow. Vasant Narsapur is also where the first of the State’s four 12,500-acre National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) is to be located. The State’s plan is to develop the Centrally-sponsored project NIMZ and the corridor together, with the CBIC stretching up to Chitradurga.

Special purpose company

A special purpose company is to be formed in a couple of months to take charge of the developments on the Karnataka side of the corridor.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is steering the plan. An early estimate puts the full cost of the project at Rs. 10,000 crore-Rs. 12,000 crore, to be shared in varying degrees between the two governments and enabled by the States.

Over 10 years, each node is estimated to generate three lakh jobs and investments totalling Rs. 60,000 crore.

While the project has some way to go and the comprehensive plan is not likely to be ready until next year, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board has just completed the techno-economic feasibility study, the official said.

The corridor works could take off in a year and start showing results over the next three to five years. An advantage is that “We don't have to wait for connectivity” as the corridor would be along National Highway 4 that runs through Karnataka all the way to Pune. Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu enjoy a comfort level with Japanese industries that are looking forward to expand in this band, according to the official.

[Prem]

http://japanfocus.org/-Cemil-Aydin/4118
( Interesting Read)
Changing Modes of Political Dialogue Across the Middle East and East Asia, 1880-2010

pecially strong for early twentieth-century Chinese intellectuals, who made a connection between their experience of humiliation and similar struggles elsewhere. Japanese or Chinese Asianist organizations began to write about Muslim societies in their books and magazines. Two factors complicated the emerging anti-colonial Asian identity: First, identities did not necessarily turn into policies or political projects. Despite Japanese sympathy for Egyptians as fellow subalterns, Japan’s imperial elites were allies of the British Empire and some looked to British rule in Egypt as a model for Japanese rule over Korea. There could be a tension between sympathies and political interests. Second, there was an intellectual desire to substantiate a pan-Asian vision with historical narratives. East Asia had cultural commonality—the Chinese writing systems and Confucianism, for instance—which they could extend a vision of united Asia to India and Southeast Asia via references to the shared Buddhist legacy. But thinking of Muslims as fellow Asians led to discussion on the relationship of Islam to Buddhism and Confucianism. By the 1920s, however, Asianists began to include Muslims in their vision by writing a narrative of world history that evolves around an eternal struggle between East and West. Thus, it was possible for Japanese and Chinese historians to write about Arab-Muslim armies in Spain or Ottoman forces in Eastern Europe as historic achievements of Asia against its Western enemy. At the same time, Muslim travelers to Japan, China and Korea began to depict Buddhism as a great philosophical and religious legacy, and there was an important Muslim-Buddhist dialogue within the pan-Asian solidarity framework.
Era of Redemption
During the long period of decolonization in Asia, mutual interest and sympathies between Middle East and East Asia peaked, yet with a clear difference between pro-Chinese and pro-Japanese discourses. Japanese elites, when they decided to mobilize Asian sympathies for their empire, emphasized race alliance against white Western hegemony and downplayed Japan’s war with Chinese nationalism. Chinese nationalists and Japanese imperialists competed for the political support of Muslims and Arabs by sponsoring pilgrimages to Mecca. Chinese nationalists asked Chinese Muslims to go to Mecca and tell other Muslims that China was in the right against imperialist Japan. The Japanese government, on the other hand, dispatched pan-Asianist Japanese who had become Muslims for propaganda purposes to visit Mecca. The fact that China and Japan focused their public diplomacy on Saudi state ruled Mecca illustrates the rising political importance of that city in the twentieth century, as well as the confusion about the leadership of the imagined “Muslim world” after the abolishment of the Ottoman caliphate in Istanbul in 1924. The Japanese empire was particularly invested in ties with Arab and Muslim societies during the 1933-1945 period. Japan developed a vibrant field of Islamic studies, with multiple magazines and research centers, publishing hundreds of books on issues related to Muslim societies. Textbooks for Japanese schoolchildren described Arabs and Muslims as fellow Asians with shared historical experiences of subjugation by the West. During World War II, there were Japanese intellectuals such as Ōkubo Kōji, director of the Institute for Islamic Studies, who presented Japanese wars against white European colonialism as “jihad/seisen,” while praising Muslim resistance movements against imperialism. It was during this wartime period that one of the leading scholars of Islam of the twentieth century, Izutsu Toshihiko, gained his first training in Japan. Another important Japanese intellectual, Ōkawa Shūmei, who was indicted at the Tokyo war crimes tribunal as a leading ideologue of wartime Japan, also translated the Qur’an and compared Mao Zedong’s military victories to Arab victories in Spain after the end of World War II.
Arabs and Indians may have been pro-Japanese during the 1905-1920 period, but once Japan colonized China, their political sympathies shifted toward China or remained ambivalent. After all, Germany and Italy also claimed to be friends, if not saviors, of colonized Muslims, so the Arab Middle East approached Japanese propaganda with skepticism. Meanwhile, economic ties between the regions suffered, since it was the British Empire that had facilitated them and Britain was soon at war with Japan