India and Japan: News and Discussion

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 08 Sep 2009 17:20

Japan Wants New Relationship With the US (TIME)

What does this mean for India?

I think that the Japanese will try to diversify their export markets away from the US, to reduce their single-market exposure and their dependency upon the US market. I think they'll be cutting back their purchases of US treasury bills and related debt. I think we could see an accelerating decline in the US dollar, and an increase in inflation in the US.

Obama won't be able to fund his dream welfare state.

I'm wondering if the left-leaning DPJ will join forces with Obama in pushing the CTBT on India. It seems to me that DPJ would be at least as activist on this as the previous govt, if not more.

Can India expect better relations with DPJ-led Japan, or worse?
CTBT aside, I'm thinking that DPJ will cultivate better ties with China, and I hope this won't be at Indian expense.
DPJ's support for multi-polarity would be more compatible with India's worldview. Hopefully they will continue to cultivate India as a market, as part of this belief.

What are the views on all of this?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 12 Sep 2009 01:24

Is Japan turning against Globalization??

Incoming Tokyo government threatens split with US

A split is emerging between the United States and Japan over the new Tokyo government's anti-globalisation rhetoric and its threats to end a refueling agreement for US ships in support of the war in Afghanistan.

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 12 Sep 2009 02:23

^^ Is this the same party which questions 911 ?

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 24 Sep 2009 20:42

Surya Kiran in Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpNG8qPk_Jc

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 24 Sep 2009 20:48

Sanjay M wrote:Japan Wants New Relationship With the US (TIME)

What does this mean for India?

I think that the Japanese will try to diversify their export markets away from the US, to reduce their single-market exposure and their dependency upon the US market. I think they'll be cutting back their purchases of US treasury bills and related debt. I think we could see an accelerating decline in the US dollar, and an increase in inflation in the US.

Obama won't be able to fund his dream welfare state.

I'm wondering if the left-leaning DPJ will join forces with Obama in pushing the CTBT on India. It seems to me that DPJ would be at least as activist on this as the previous govt, if not more.

Can India expect better relations with DPJ-led Japan, or worse?
CTBT aside, I'm thinking that DPJ will cultivate better ties with China, and I hope this won't be at Indian expense.
DPJ's support for multi-polarity would be more compatible with India's worldview. Hopefully they will continue to cultivate India as a market, as part of this belief.

What are the views on all of this?

Our relations with Japan under the DPJ will be clearly, and substantially worse than they've ever been (not that they were ever too great).

There is already evidence of this. Consider the move by China to block ADB funding towards a development project in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese scored a diplomatic coup against India by marshalling enough votes to block the funding. Guess who voted on the Chinese side.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/forge ... it/518626/

On June 16, India had successfully isolated China — the entire ADB Board except Beijing had voted in India’s favour — and secured approval for its $2.9-billion country plan. China had raised objections to the plan because it included $60-million projects in Arunachal Pradesh. It argued that ADB cannot fund projects in “disputed areas” like Arunachal Pradesh.

Clearly, China did not give up after that defeat and the reversal is symptomatic of its growing clout. It’s learnt that India lost the vote despite US and most of the Western bloc voting in India’s favour. In what was relatively a narrow margin, the scales were tilted in China’s favour by Japan, Australia and a group of other South East Asian countries.

A clear enough indication of the shape of things to come.

arun · Post by **arun** » 24 Sep 2009 20:50

Let’s wait and watch to see if this initial prognosis will actually hold good as my first impression is that this Japanese Government is more than usually prone for a Japanese Government to Kow-Tow to the P.R. Chinese:

New Japanese PM is an old friend of India

Indrani Bagchi, TNN 23 September 2009, 09:01pm IST

NEW DELHI: When Japanese Premier Yukio Hatoyama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meet for the first time on Thursday in Pittsburgh, along with a forward looking agenda which will cover high-end dual-use technology and free trade, both leaders will have an opportunity to revisit the past, where Hatoyama occupies a special place in recent Indian history.

In January 2002, Hatoyama, as leader of Japan's opposition party DPJ, was the first high-level politician from any G-8 country to visit India after it was ravaged by two lethal terror attacks from Pakistan-bred terrorists: the Jammu & Kashmir assembly and the Parliament House attacks.

Not only did he visit Srinagar assembly and Parliament to protest against the attacks, but in his press conference, he told journalists that terrorism could not be described as freedom struggle. "Terrorism is terrorism in any form," he said.

Hoping the tension between India and Pakistan would not escalate, Hatoyama was on record saying, "We expect Pakistan to take action against terrorists."

Unlike many other leaders in those days who preferred to gloss over the infiltration issue, Hatoyama was clear. In his press conference, he said if those coming across the border engaged in terror acts, then "Pakistan should be responsible for it". ……………………..

Times Of India

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 01 Oct 2009 00:25

Japan faces entrepreneurs' block; looks at India for ideas.

A trip to Japan early this year was an eye-opener for Kanwal Rekhi, Silicon Valley-based Indian serial entrepreneur and venture 13 Indian firms in Forbes Asia's Fabulous 50 list India's top 10 business houses capitalist. He was surprised by the interest among Japanese authorities, students and businessmen to learn from the entrepreneurial surge that catapulted India into the league of major economic powers in the world.

“Indians are working on a different mindset,” said Shig Sando, who is mentoring young entrepreneurs in Japan, as well as, other countries. “The Japanese look at a very small world while an Indian’s mindset is to look at the whole world as his playground,” said Mr Sando, formerly a top official with Japan’s No 1 mobile operator NTT DoCoMo.

Amit Singh · Post by **Amit Singh** » 01 Oct 2009 02:45

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261917
Mr Change Of Japan

Long before President Barack Obama of the US started speaking of the need for a change in outlook, attitudes and policies, a man in Japan, known as Mr Clean, had been speaking of the need for a change in Japanese outlook, attitudes and policies. In fact, he is reportedly fond of collecting pictures and stone images of frogs and displaying them prominently as curios. It is said that the word in the Japanese language for a frog also means 'change'. He wanted to underline his determination to bring about a change.
His name is Katsuya Okada. He is 56 years old. He took over as the new foreign minister of Japan in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, which took office in Tokyo on September 16, 2009. Both India and China should have reasons to be gratified by his being appointed as the foreign minister. More than other Japanese leaders, Okada has been saying for some years that it is time for Japan to be less and less US-centric and more and more Asia-centric. For him, Asia means India and China and then other countries.

When he was head of the Democratic Partry of Japan (DPJ) before 2005 and in that capacity led the party to the elections to the lower House of the Diet in 2005, China and India were the flavour of the DPJ's manifesto, drafted under his leadership. It said of India and China:

"The most important element in building a peaceful and prosperous Asia is the rise of China. Depending on China's future course of action, the rise of China can be an opportunity for greater peace and prosperity in Asia, on one hand, or a risk bringing confusion and stagnation, on the other hand. It will be greatly in Japan's interest if China maintains its sustainable growth; while properly addressing its environmental and energy problems; overcomes social crises to consolidate political stability; and, contributes, as a major power, to the peace and prosperity of Asia, becoming a responsible force in the region. India is expected to be a nucleus of Asian economic development in the 21st century along with Japan, China, South Korea, and ASEAN. It projects a unique charisma not only as an economic, demographic, and cultural/ philosophical giant but also as a huge democracy. Establishing and maintaining a close relationship, including strategic, with this India will be in the national interests of Japan and will expand Japan's diplomatic options."

India "projects a unique charisma not only as an economic, demographic, and cultural/ philosophical giant but also as a huge democracy." These were his words of 2005. The Chinese were also very pleased by what the manifesto of 2005 had to say about Japan's imperial past:

"The Japanese must bear in mind that the offended will not easily forget the pain and humiliation, while the offenders are liable to amnesia. It is absolutely undeniable, as recorded in Prime Minister Murayama's remark of August 15, 1995, that Japan's invasion and occupation brought tremendous loss and pain to our neighbouring countries. After honestly and humbly reflecting on our past conduct, we must work determinedly to build a future-oriented relationship with our Asian neighbours. This will be a common perception within the new Japanese government and the centre pillar of its foreign policy. In this spirit, the new government will open a new national facility to pay tribute to past war victims as well as any future casualties of international lines of duty. It will also work steadily to strengthen joint initiatives with neighbouring countries toward achieving a shared perception of historical issues."

If the DPJ had won the elections in 2005,India and China would have received priority attention in a Cabinet headed by Okada. Unfortunately, it did badly in the elections and Okada resigned from the leadership of the Party. Under Hatoyama, who took over the party leadership in May last, Okada's warm references to India disappeared from the manifesto of 2009.

Despite his being the Secretary-General of the Party, Okada was apparently unable to make Hatoyama think of India too while finalising the manifesto. The only reference to India in it was not in the section on foreign policy, but in the section on environment under climate change.

Will Okada, as Foreign Minister, reiterate the importance of Indo-Japanese strategic relationship as part of the new Government's over-all strategic architecture? That is the question to which we in India should be looking for an answer. I have been reading the English language media reports from Tokyo ever since the DPJ won its historic victory in the recent elections. Hatoyama was very active in getting to know the heads of many diplomatic missions in Tokyo. The Heads of missions of the US, Russia, China and South Korea prominently figured in reports on his meetings with the diplomatic corps. I did not find the name of the Head of the Indian mission. One hopes it was an omission by the media and not by Hatoyama. There is, however, one important news, if it is correct. Hatoyama is planning a visit to India in December.

A word of caution about Okada would be in order. He used to believe that in order to stop Pakistani nuclear proliferation activites, attention needed to be paid to solving the Kashmir dispute. He reportedly believed that so long as the Kashmir dispute remained unresolved, Pakistan would continue to add to his nuclear arsenal by hook or by crook.

Some interesting quotes from Okada's pre-election interviews:

"Japan will continue to see the US as its most important ally but won't be as subservient as it has been in the past.It's like Japan hasn't had its own diplomacy, or its own opinions." (Associated Press)
"First, we should create a relationship of trust between the leaders of the two countries, then set bilateral priorities, including on global issues such as global warming and poverty, and discuss in what order to try to resolve them." (Reuters)
"First, Japan itself must properly assess the fact that it embarked on that wretched, foolish war. In that sense, our position is quite different from that of successive LDP governments." (Reuters)
Okada, who is the son of a supermarket owner, had studied in the Harvard University. He started his political career in the Liberal Democratic Party, which he left in 1993. An often-mentioned negative streak in him is that he has had the reputation of being inflexibly rigid. The DPJ has an absolute majority in the lower House, but not in the upper House where it will have to depend on the smaller Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP), both of which have a strong anti-US agenda. Since in Japan the two Houses have almost equal powers, no policy changes can be implemented without the support of the upper House. Okada may have to make compromises on certain issues. The two smaller parties supporting the coalition may not support a high-profile foreign policy role for Japan. Flexibility in dealing with them might be required. Hatoyama has the reputation of being more flexible and willing to make compromises than Okada.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 03 Oct 2009 21:51

DPJ has a choice between business-as-usual, which will alienate its voter base, or else departing from the past, which would automatically have consequences on international relations.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 04 Oct 2009 09:16

Former Japan finance minister found dead

TOKYO (Reuters) - Former Japanese finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who was forced to deny he was drunk at a G7 news conference in February, has died, Tokyo police said on Sunday.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 22 Oct 2009 15:01

US pressures Japan on Military Package - Washington Post
While this does not directly concern India, the fall out might. The new Hatayoma government seems to think that it should simply rock the US-Japan boat in order to appear 'assertive with the Americans', its poll promise. They have little experience in governance with LDP having ruled Japan for decades. In the process, it may wittingly or unwittingly strengthen the Chinese.

"the hardest thing right now is not China, it's Japan."

amit · Post by **amit** » 22 Oct 2009 16:15

it may wittingly or unwittingly strengthen the Chinese.

A real possibility.

The other aspect is this could drive a desperate US into India's lap too. If the US loses Japan then it stands friendless in Asia and that might call for drastic measures.

However, I don't know if that's a good thing for India - that is more closer US-India strategic ties. Replacing Japan as the US catspaw in Asia is not a good idea.

Things seems to be pretty unclear. IMHO if the Hatayoma Govt does charter an independent course then it represents both an danger as well as opportunity for India. How we seize the moment will determine everything.

JMT

csharma · Post by **csharma** » 22 Oct 2009 16:42

This cannot be good for India. US needs a base in E Asia to counter China there, something India cannot provide owing to geography.

If China is unchallenged in E Asia, it will free up resources for Indian Ocean. I hope something is worked out.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 22 Oct 2009 16:48

amit wrote: The other aspect is this could drive a desperate US into India's lap too. If the US loses Japan then it stands friendless in Asia and that might call for drastic measures.

Amit, India can never be a replacement for Japan in the depth & breadth of relationship. Besides, the US-Japan relationship has a historical necessity that is absent in our relationship. Thirdly, India will never (in spite of capitulations etc.) have a relationship that subserves our foreign policy to another country. However, I agree that the deterioration of the US-Japan relationship can have some potential benefits for India.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 22 Oct 2009 18:45

csharma wrote:This cannot be good for India. US needs a base in E Asia to counter China there, something India cannot provide owing to geography.
If China is unchallenged in E Asia, it will free up resources for Indian Ocean. I hope something is worked out.

Read the history of US interation with Japan before WWII

The challenge of Japan before World War II and after: a study of national ... By Nazli Choucri, Robert Carver North, Susumu Yamakage

http://books.google.com/books?id=gO0NAA ... q=&f=false

Pages 106

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 22 Oct 2009 19:00

amit wrote: However, I don't know if that's a good thing for India - that is more closer US-India strategic ties. Replacing Japan as the US catspaw in Asia is not a good idea.

Japan and India are not the same for US. History of US interaction with Japan is completely different

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 22 Oct 2009 19:04

perhaps they are annoyed that US is devaluing its currency and giving itself a discount at Japan's expense?

i recall some Japanese economist in government said they would no longer be concerned about the strenghtening yen indicating they won't intervein to buy dollars any more. Surely their exports will take a hammering in the short term.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 22 Oct 2009 21:12

The new sarkar in tokyo is spending like a drunken sailor and then some.

Already japani national debt is 218% of GDP and AEP reports it might soar to as high as 246% by 2013. The debt service burden on such a calamity should interest rates rise even by 1% point will be enough to finish japani power for a loooong time, IMO.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 22 Oct 2009 23:53

aren't they just doing excatly what US wants all OECD countries to do - inflate away to mask the inflating of the dollar.

amit · Post by **amit** » 23 Oct 2009 14:06

SSridhar wrote:Amit, India can never be a replacement for Japan in the depth & breadth of relationship. Besides, the US-Japan relationship has a historical necessity that is absent in our relationship. Thirdly, India will never (in spite of capitulations etc.) have a relationship that subserves our foreign policy to another country. However, I agree that the deterioration of the US-Japan relationship can have some potential benefits for India.

I also don't think our foreign policy would be strategically made subservient to any other country, even if it's the US. While there have been tactical blunders - SeS is a prime example - long-term strategic foreign policy has been pretty consistent till now and I don't see any cause to think that it may change.

The point that I mean to say is that US would become pretty desperate in the short to medium term if Japan really goes off in a tangent (and directly into China's lap with this East Asia Confederation nonsense). If our foreign policy is handled properly then perhaps we can get US to give major concessions (in say for example in AF-Pak, NPT etc) in exchange of holding their hands in Asia. The fact remains, if China-Japan-Korea common market/confederation thing becomes a reality, the US for its own survival would need India more than India would need the US.

But yes India-US dynamics will never be the same as the post-World War2 till present US-Japan dynamics.

amit · Post by **amit** » 23 Oct 2009 14:09

Acharya wrote:
amit wrote: However, I don't know if that's a good thing for India - that is more closer US-India strategic ties. Replacing Japan as the US catspaw in Asia is not a good idea.
Japan and India are not the same for US. History of US interaction with Japan is completely different

Acharya,

Thanks for the history lesson. But I hope you did notice that I never said that India would become a carbon copy of Japan as a far as the US is concerned. India-US dynamics will be shaped by India-US perceptions and these will be totally different from Japan. Typecasting is one of the major pitfalls while studying geopolitical relations between nations as populous as India or for the matter the US.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 23 Oct 2009 14:41

Neshant wrote:aren't they just doing excatly what US wants all OECD countries to do - inflate away to mask the inflating of the dollar.

O No, its more than that now....the rest of the emerged world is looking actively at lessons from the japani lost decades. And drawing the wrong conclusions to boot, too.

What they should have learnt is that 'regular' monetary policy becomes 400% ineffective in a balance-sheet or deleveraging recession than in the garden-variety business cycle downturns. And bailing out ailing banks doesn't help the economy or even the banks themselves, it only raises public debt. And growth, employment etc etc all go into doldrums bigtime and for a loooong time (2 decades and running in japan).

But no, what the emerged world appears keen to learn from japan is that - "hey, japan has a debt level of 218% of GDP. Ours is around 100% only. So we can safely go and borrow more!"

Only Muruga knows how this will end. Jai Ho.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 23 Oct 2009 16:26

japanese gov't lent money to banks who then bought commercial securities which allowed for high levels of debt, but it aided the private sector. right now in the west, gov'ts are lending to banks who are buying... government bonds... two drunks propping each other up as the economist says last week

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 08 Nov 2009 06:57

Maritime security to figure in Antony's Japan visit

Maritime security challenges, including anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region, will figure during Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s three-day visit to Japan, beginning on Sunday.

Mr. Antony will review defence-related interactions between the two countries and explore ways of enhancing such exchanges. Joint military exercises and exchange of students from defence training institutions will also be discussed.

The Defence Secretary, the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and senior officers of the armed forces have accompanied Mr. Antony.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 08 Nov 2009 07:17

amit wrote:
However, I don't know if that's a good thing for India - that is more closer US-India strategic ties. Replacing Japan as the US catspaw in Asia is not a good idea.
Japan and India are not the same for US. History of US interaction with Japan is completely different

Acharya,

Thanks for the history lesson. But I hope you did notice that I never said that India would become a carbon copy of Japan as a far as the US is concerned. India-US dynamics will be shaped by India-US perceptions and these will be totally different from Japan. Typecasting is one of the major pitfalls while studying geopolitical relations between nations as populous as India or for the matter the US.

The question of Replacing Japan as the US catspaw in Asia does not even arise. India is left alone trying to defend herself.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 Nov 2009 07:48

India-Japan renew committment to develop defence action plan

India and Japan on Monday renewed their commitment to “develop an Action Plan … to advance security cooperation.”

An accord on these lines formed the centrepiece of a joint press statement issued by Defence Minister A.K. Antony and his Japanese counterpart, Toshimi Kitazawa, after their talks in Tokyo.

Authoritative sources told The Hindu that the two countries were keen on finalising the action plan in time for the planned visit to India soon by Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. The idea was first agreed upon during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan last year.

Under the current framework of defence-related cooperation, Mr. Kitazawa and Mr. Antony “expressed their determination to take forward bilateral defence exchanges and cooperation in a meaningful way in 2010.” They “condemned terrorist activities and shared [a sense of] determination to enhance cooperation in the fight against terrorism.”

Maritime security was identified as a key concern of both countries. They expressed a “common interest in the safety of sea lines of communications” and “welcomed the recent reinforcement of cooperation” in this domain. The two Ministers expressed support for the international anti-piracy drive, especially off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. But no specifics were spelt out.

The other areas cited for bilateral and multilateral cooperation were peace-keeping, peace-building and disaster relief.

Mr. Antony and Mr. Kitazawa welcomed the participation of the two countries in the Malabar series of naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal in 2007 and off Okinawa in April this year. The Malabar series also involves the United States.

On the current practice of holding Japan-India bilateral talks and exercises, the two Ministers noted that the objective was to “enhance cooperation and core ability for maritime security operation and disaster relief.”

D Roy · Post by **D Roy** » 10 Nov 2009 09:48

The DPJ seems to be interested in the "three countries' idea .

However in my opinion regardless of the manifesto, there is no cause for india to get worried.

It will either be India-china-japan or true pan asianism or it will be India-japan with China still trying to pretend to become the next soviet union with a capitalistic economy.

There will not be just China-Japan.

Also the Japanese are not foolish enough to broker an agreement with china without seeing the greater asian peace and security sphere truly emerge. They know that if they free up the PLAN to focus on the Indian Ocean they'll be the biggest losers.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 10 Nov 2009 23:37

D Roy take a look at this.

From Nightwatch, 9 Nov 2009

Japan-India: Japanese Defense Minister Kitazawa and Indian Defense Minister Antony agreed in Tokyo to plan out cooperation on maritime security and antiterrorism, The Associated Press reported 9 November, citing a Japanese Defense Ministry official. The leaders shared concerns about piracy in the Gulf of Aden and agreed to enhance cooperation.

While Kitazawa said the international community should call for transparency on China's security, Antony was not clear on the issue, said the official. Antony's three-day visit to Japan began 8 November.

Comment: Japan and India are strange strategic partners, considering their divergent alliance relationships since World War II. What draws them together is rising China. India has found a partner in Japan that can potentially worry China somewhat approximating the manner in which China benefits from Pakistani tensions with India. Asians are taking responsibility for Asian security.

Antony’s ambiguity on the issue of transparency of Chinese security developments probably stems from India’s disinclination to be transparent regarding its military developments. India would be held to the same standard as China should it align with the US and Japanese position on military transparency.

So really its cooperation in non-contentious areas.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 14 Nov 2009 12:19

Emission rates alarming in China & India: Japan

Japan on Wednesday said that greenhouse gases emission rate in China and India had reached an alarming proportion and hoped that a legally binding agreement would be arrived at Copenhagen to prevent global warming.

On India’s proposal to have a commitment on reduction of greenhouse gases domestically, Ms. Kijima said that such a commitment could be made at the international forum also.

But she agreed that as the Japanese government was answerable to its people and could not make any commitment on the exact amount of funding for helping the developing nations.

The developing countries too could have reservations about allowing their adaptation and mitigation projects to international reporting and verification.

csharma · Post by **csharma** » 14 Nov 2009 13:10

Isn't India contribution of greenhouse gases like 5.5% of the world and China's in excess of 20%. So why are these guys going after India as well. Is it because of rate of increase?

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 29 Nov 2009 11:13

Japan launches 5th spy satellite

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 01 Dec 2009 05:15

Nikkei, Japan

America Focuses on India
http://watchingamerica.com/News/38437/a ... -on-india/

Translated By Haitham Jendoubi
26 November 2009
Edited by Alex Brewer
Japan - Nikkei - Original Article (Japanese)

Indian Prime Minister Singh has traveled to Washington as President Obama’s first state guest since his inauguration. As fear gathers in India that the United States’ Asia policy is leaning toward China and Pakistan, the summit aimed to publicly reaffirm the United States’ pro-India stance. A joint statement made after the summit showed a certain consideration for India. With the one-year anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attack soon approaching, the statement also underlined the need to bring the attack’s ringleaders to trial. India welcomed the move, which was meant to urge the government of Pakistan—alleged to be the base from which the perpetrators acted—to resolve the incident.

The United States seems to have benefited from the summit mainly on the economic front. As with the U.S.-China summit meeting on 17 November, a broad consensus was reached on measures to tackle global warming and cooperation in energy matters. The leaders also agreed to implement the nuclear agreement (concluded under the Bush administration) in the near future.

It appears that President Obama has followed up his success in China by establishing a foothold in the Indian market in a field he hopes will kick-start the rebuilding of U.S. employment and its economy. However, it is unfortunate that the leaders did not agree on concrete goals for decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.

The two leaders also agreed to convene for an annual cabinet-level financial policy summit. U.S.-India economic ties have grown by leaps and bounds since India liberalized its economy in 1990, but stand to gain even more impetus now.

Unfortunately, Japan-India economic ties are being overshadowed. Japan is the biggest official development assistance donor to India, but this aid is not really translating to increased private-sector exchange. We would like to see policies that boost the private sector, such as a framework for exchanges on a personal level.

Because India is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Japan has foregone any nuclear cooperation agreement. Given that Prime Minister Singh has declared that India would not carry out any more nuclear tests, the path to civil cooperation could be cleared by diplomatic efforts.

It is unclear where India (or the United States) would fit into the “East Asian community” framework proposed by Japanese Prime Minster Yukio Hatoyama. India’s market is second only to China’s in possibilities—we must broaden our horizons in pursuing our national interests.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 26 Dec 2009 06:38

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 967956.ece

Hatoyama's tenure will be a big disappointment for the Japanese people, as he and his associates will not be able to deliver on their promises. At the same time, the disgraced LDP continues to be corrupt and incorrigible. This may set the stage for an eventual shift to a right-wing govt, as a result of public backlash and lack of better alternatives.

India might actually be a beneficiary of such an eventuality, since Japan's ties to its immediate neighbors could come under strain, with India presenting itself as a natural ally with common interests.

Masaru · Post by **Masaru** » 26 Dec 2009 09:46

On India trip, Japanese PM to talk business

India is the only country with which Japan has an institutional arrangement of annual summit-level visits. Sources said Hatoyama insisted (through a brewing scandal and a budget in Japan) on honouring the letter and spirit of the agreement.

It will also be the first visit by a Japanese premier to Mumbai, the commercial capital, where Hatoyama is expected to meet with Ratan Tata. His predecessor Shinzo Abe had visited Kolkata.

The Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, which will be officially launched during the visit, could prove to be a big leg-up for Indian manufacturing. The two countries are targeting some "early bird" ventures that will take off soon.

The security agreement signed in 2008 between India and Japan will be expanded and deepened, said sources, to focus on maritime cooperation particularly in tackling piracy. The whole idea that both sides will stress on will be to avoid raising hackles in other countries (read China).

At least on the surface there is sign of continuity in foreign policy. Hope some new directions and initiatives come out of this and this is not solely motivated by the desire to avoid the domestic turmoil.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 27 Dec 2009 18:19

Japanese PM arrives in India

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 28 Dec 2009 07:55

New Delhi - Breaking from the practice of Japanese PMs who avoid foreign trips in the latter part of December as it is annual budget time in Tokyo, Yukio Hatoyama is making an exception by visiting India next week. And with good reason — this is the first time that Japanese investments in India have exceeded investments in China.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news ... ay/559398/

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 Dec 2009 16:07

Japan hopes India will sign CTBT

Japan on Tuesday expressed the hope that India would sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) but kept the door open for civil nuclear cooperation, saying it will be an important agenda for the future.

“The Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) said with regard to the CTBT (that) should US and China sign, it will create a new situation,” Hatoyama said.

Dr. Manmohan Singh underlined India’s “impeccable record” in nuclear non-proliferation and pitched force the civil nuclear cooperation with Japan.

This has to be seen in the light of the Japan-Australia initiative called International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.

India is certainly not going to sign NPT in its present form. These requests from the Japanese PM are good opportunities (as Man Mohan Singh has subtly pointed out) for India to convey its stance.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 Dec 2009 18:16

India-Japan look set to ease visa rules

sum · Post by **sum** » 29 Dec 2009 19:15

And with good reason — this is the first time that Japanese investments in India have exceeded investments in China.

Wow....Japanese seem to be hedging their bets despite all the Japs-Chini bhai bhai theme lately.

Masaru · Post by **Masaru** » 29 Dec 2009 19:53

Japan mulls selling India nuclear power technology

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday offered to consider selling nuclear power technology to India, but called on New Delhi to sign the nuclear test-ban treaty.

Energy-starved India is interested in wooing Japan's thriving nuclear power industry, but Tokyo has so far not allowed Japanese companies to do business in nuclear reactors and fuels until New Delhi agrees to stop conducting nuclear tests.

Hatoyama told reporters in the Indian capital that his government would examine the matter following assurances by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that India would not divert any imports from Japan for weapons purposes or to third party countries.

On Tuesday, the two countries also finalized an action plan with specific measures to advance security cooperation.

They agreed to increase information exchange and policy coordination on security issues in the Asia-Pacific region and hold annual meetings at the foreign and defense ministers' level and regular consultation between the national security advisers of the two countries, the joint statement said.

Bilateral talks also centered on the New Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, an area designed to be a manufacturing and technological hub for India, it said. Japan is participating in dozens of construction and other projects in the corridor, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Top Japanese companies have set up shop in India, including automakers Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp. as well as Sony Corp. and electronics giant Panasonic Corp.