India and Japan: News and Discussion

[Kakkaji]

India in talks with Japanese lenders to raise more funds for highway projects

NEW DELHI: India has initiated talks with Japanese lending agencies for funding of its ambitious highways programme which entails addition of over 50,000 km over the next five years.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari held a discussion with representatives of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) last week for increasing its lending to India,

"We want funding on soft terms for highways and expressways projects," said the official, who did not wish to be identified.

India needs Rs 5 lakh crore over the next five years to expand its highways to 1.5 lakh km from the existing 96,000 km. In addition, the country has an ambitious plan to construct 10 greenfield expressways spanning over 16,000 km.

"The key issue with infrastructure in country right now is unavailability of funds. PPPs (public-private partnerships) are yet to pick up and expressways anyway are much more capital intensive than highways," said Jaijit Bhattacharya, partner-infrastructure at KPMG in India.

[SSridhar]

Ageing Japan goes all out to woo Indian students - Ravikanth Reddy, The Hindu

Japan’s declining young population is proving to be a blessing for Indian students, who are being wooed by Japanese universities for taking up research in science and technology with scholarships covering tuition and living expenses.

On radar are the students of IITs and other prestigious institutions where students with strong math and science background. “Japan’s population is declining and only around 25 per cent of its young generation is showing interest in sciences. The country wants to promote research in sciences and technology inviting best brains from across the world and India is definitely a choice given the huge talent pool,” explained Daisuke Kodama, First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in India.

Mr. Kodama, who was at IIT-Hyderabad as a part of the IIT Hyderabad-Japan collaboration Academic Fair, said apart excellent facilities in the universities, Japan is much cheaper compared to the U.K. and the U.S. in terms of tuition fees and living expenses. “There is a misconception about Japanese education in India. Language is no barrier,” he said, adding that 68 Indian students are now pursuing research in Japan.

Indian students get an opportunity to work in the best of Japanese science and research laboratories and they have a greater chance of being hired by Japanese companies that are known for cutting-edge research and technology. “Students from China, Vietnam and Korea dominate Japan campuses now and we want the number of Indian students to rise,” Mr. Kodama said.

Prof. Faiz Ahmed Khan, Dean, Academics, IIT-H, said that they have a partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the JICA-Friendship Project connotes future researchers at IIT-H to enhance network development with scholarship of Japan. Under the project, scholarships are offered to graduating students of IIT-H to pursue Ph.D at renowned universities such as Tohoku University, University of Tokyo, Keio University, Waseda University, and Nagoya University among others.

Integrated support

Mr. Kodama said the JICA is extending integrated support to IIT-H through Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of about Rs. 1,336 crore for the campus development, joint research collaboration, and academic exchanges. The JICA’s support is facilitating development of a research centre complex, technology incubation park and an international convention centre on the campus, procurement of laboratory equipment, among other initiatives.

At the academic fair, faculty members from the Japanese universities shared the scope for applied research and study, and the academia-industry linkages. Chaitanya Kulkarni, who graduated as Masters student from Keio University in 2015, and Swapnil Ghodke, Ph.D student from Nagoya University who have received the scholarship in the previous years, shared their experience of studying in Japan.

[SSridhar]

Rs. 15,000-cr North East connectivity project struggling to clear roadblocks - Arun S, The Hindu

The ambitious Rs.15,000 crore North East connectivity project is struggling to take off one year after India and Japan jointly agreed to work on the project to quickly transform the region into a manufacturing hub with the help of better road infrastructure.

Official sources told The Hindu that there were differences between JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) on issues such as the various costs involved in the project, and the technology that is to be used in building roads. There are also differences between the two on the manner in which environment and social impact assessments are to be carried out.

NHIDCL is a wholly owned company of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH) and is the project implementing agency. Also, it is learnt that local stakeholders such as the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council in Meghalaya are yet to give their ‘no objection certificates’.

JICA’s concerns

Sources in one of the many Japanese agencies said Japan is insisting on a full-scale Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) even for improvement of existing single-lane/two-lane highways such as the ones in the North East. NHIDCL and MORTH (Ministry of Road Transport & Highways) have for their part referred to a Central government notification, according to which easier clearance can be given for road widening in border areas such as the North East.

They said Japan also wants NHIDCL to adopt the latest ‘slope protection technique and methods to balance cut and fill volumes’ for greater durability of the road and to make the construction environmentally sustainable. JICA had asked NHIDCL to upgrade their Detailed Project Reports (DPR) incorporating these.

Though NHIDCL has agreed to adopt these techniques, it wants the costs involved in it to be rationalised. Negotiations are continuing regarding costs, they said.

NHIDCL sources said the company was almost ready to seek sanction for all the phases from the competent authorities.

The second phase comprises improvements to NH 127B, NH40, NH53 and NH 39 in the region as well as construction of two bridges, while the third phase comprises improvements on NH62, NH 102A and NH 44 besides the construction of two more bridges.

However, JICA is reluctant to offer assistance in outline design and construction of these projects, citing difficulties in securing the safety of their working team, the sources said.

Meetings before Abe visit

With the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slated to visit India later next month, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has sought a status report of the project and will shortly hold an inter-ministerial meeting on it to expeditiously resolve all the outstanding issues.

Sources in the commerce and industry ministry said despite repeated reminders, JICA is yet to submit the final report of a feasibility study for the project. JICA had, in September 2014, agreed to submit the report by September-end 2015.

The commerce and industry ministry is the nodal agency in the Central government for matters relating to JICA and also houses the ‘Japan Plus’ cell for expediting clearances for Japanese investments in India.

While JICA did not respond to an e-mail sent by The Hindu, NHIDCL officials denied there were any differences with JICA. They expressed confidence in making enough progress so as to sign an agreement with JICA for the Rs.5,000 crore-loan, during Mr. Abe’s visit.

The sources, however, said the industry ministry had objections regarding India asking Japan (JICA, in this case) for a soft loan as high as Rs.5,000 crore just for the first phase of the project, and wants this as well as the estimated compensation costs of Rs.1,700 crore to be rationalised.

In this regard, the industry ministry is expected to soon call a meeting of the concerned agencies including the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, finance ministry, the MORTH, JICA and NHIDCL. Industry ministry is also keen to ensure that the plan — to develop the region into a manufacturing hub with Japanese help — is not dropped.

The sources added that these developments are set to figure in the discussions to be held by a senior Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) official starting November 16, as part of preparations for the Japanese premier's trip to India.

The METI official is set to call upon senior officials in the PMO and others in various ministries as well as the chief secretaries of the concerned states to discuss the unresolved issues.

The first phase is estimated to cost about Rs.5,000 crore for improving two highways (380 km of NH54 in Mizoram and 50 km of NH51 in Meghalaya).

[SSridhar]

Japan to provide Rs 5,536 crore loan for metro projects in Chennai and Ahmedabad - PTI

India and Japan today exchanged notes for Japan's Official Development Loan Assistance ( ODA) worth Rs 5,536 crore for Chennai and Ahmedabad metro rail projects.

"India and Japan exchange notes for Japan's Official Development Loan Assistance worth Rs 5,536 crore to India for Chennai Metro Rail Project (IV) and Ahmedabad Metro Project," said an official release.


The notes were exchanged here between S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Yutaka Kikuta, from the Embassy of Japan to India.

The Japanese government of Japan has committed Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of an amount of about Rs 1,080 crore for the Chennai Metro Rail Project (IV phase) and Rs 4,456 crore for Ahmedabad Metro Project.

India and Japan have had mutually beneficial economic development cooperation since 1958.

In the last few years, the economic cooperation between India and Japan has strengthened and grown into strategic partnership.

With general political consensus and popular support for the greater cooperation between India and Japan, the partnership is poised for a great future, said the release.

[Kakkaji]

Japan defence pact hope from Abe trip

New Delhi, Dec. 4: India and Japan plan to ink a pact on sharing defence secrets that will facilitate New Delhi's purchase of cutting-edge amphibious aircraft from Tokyo while signifying a tightening strategic embrace that is worrying China.

The pact will be discussed, and may be signed, during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's three-day India visit from December 11, senior officials said.

Japan has agreements sharing technology specific to a particular piece of military equipment with a few countries. But it only has an overarching agreement on sharing military secrets with the US - that pact was signed in 2007.

India is keen on purchasing armed versions of the ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft from Japan for its navy to defend not just the country's waters but to also help secure sea lanes critical for New Delhi's trade - and increasingly a zone of tension over disputes involving China.

[A_Gupta]

Japan pips China in race to build India's first bullet train
http://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/inf ... 26957.html

Indian officials in Beijing said Japan had undertaken the feasibility study for the 500-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor well before China entered the fray offering to do the Chennai-Delhi route that could cost over $20 billion.

The proposed agreement to be signed during Japan premier Shinzo Abe's visit to New Delhi on Saturday is for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor and India's decision to opt for high speed rail in other corridors will depend on easy and affordable financing terms as offered by Tokyo for the first bullet train in India, they said.

[SSridhar]

Shinzo Abe's India visit from December 11; talks, Varanasi visit on agenda - PTI

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will arrive here on Friday on a three-day visit to hold annual summit talks with Narendra Modi with a focus on forging greater synergies between two major Asian economies and take forward the special strategic ties.

In the 9th annual Indo-Japan summit talks, Modi and Abe will review implementation of various decisions taken in course of last one year to enhance economic ties, particularly in the trade and investment sector.

"The visit of Prime Minister Abe is for the annual summit meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the external affairs ministry said.

The summit meeting will be held on December 12 and Abe is likely to visit Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Modi, on the same day.

Modi will accompany Abe during his visit to Varanasi. Abe had accompanied Modi during his visit to Kyoto. During his visit, Abe is expected to go to the Buddhist site Sarnath and also attend the aarti on the banks of river Ganga.

At the last Summit meeting held in Tokyo last year, the two prime ministers had agreed to elevate the relationship to "special strategic and global partnership".

Modi had visited Japan from August 30 to September 3 last year during which that country had announced doubling of its private and public investment in India to about USD 34 billion over a period of five years.

During the summit talks last year, Modi and Abe had agreed to enhance defence and strategic cooperation to a new level and also decided to speed up negotiations on civil nuclear deal.

While agreeing on greater defence equipment and technology cooperation, the two sides had decided to expedite discussions on modalities for the sale of Japanese US-2 amphibian aircraft.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar had held talks with top Japanese officials in Tokyo last month to finalise agenda and other details of Abe's visit here.

India and Japan have been expanding their economic and strategic engagement in recent years resulting in cooperation in a vast swathe of fields including defence and security.

The economic engagement witnessed significant rise after both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2011.

[SSridhar]

India to tap low-interest loan from Japan for infra projects - Dipak Dash, ToI

The road transport ministry is mooting a proposal of setting up a framework to tap Japanese funds at cheaper interest rates for infrastructure projects. The proposal, which primarily aims at setting up of an integrated infrastructure corporation with equal share of equity by both Indian and Japanese governments, is likely to come up for discussion during the upcoming visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shino Abe.

Sources said the proposal is being put forth following a keen interest shown by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to provide loan up to Rs 2 lakh crore at very cheap interest rates for works such as building roads, expressways, Metro rails and airports. "They can do so only when we have a special entity to route this loan and the Japanese government has to have some share in that set-up," a government official said.

He pointed out that while the interest rate offered by JBIC is around 1% and that too for 30-40 years, the real issue is about sharing the hedging cost. "The hedging cost is about 7-8%. What has come as a feeler to us is that this can be shared equally by us and JBIC. So, the cost of raising loan would not be more than 5%," said a government official.

He said while this can be fine-tuned, what they need is a formal proposal or consent from JBIC for such investments.

India needs around Rs 5 lakh crore over the next five years to expand its highways to 1.5 lakh km from the existing one lakh km.

JBIC is a major player for providing funding for large infrastructure projects. The bank has already made significant commitment to several power projects in India, and recently to build Andhra Pradesh's new capital in Amravati. The bank also holds equity in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor project.

[SSridhar]

India and Japan's relationship has greatest potential in the world: Shinzo Abe - Shinzo Abe, ET

I place a special emphasis on Japan's relationship with India. In 2007, when I visited India for the first time as Prime Minister, I was honoured with an opportunity to address the Parliament of India. In the speech entitled "Confluence of the Two Seas" I stated, "The Japan-India relationship is blessed with the largest potential for development of any bilateral relationship anywhere in the world."

My belief has become stronger and stronger and it has now turned into my conviction. In January 2014, I visited India for the first time after reappointment as Prime Minister and was honoured to be invited as chief guest at the Republic Day of India.

Japan and India share fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law and strategic interests. I believe that "strong India is in the best interest of Japan, and strong Japan is in the best interest of India." While Japan contributes to development of India, Japan learns from India a lot. Taking the opportunity of this third visit to India as Prime Minister, it is my intention to make the potential of Japan-India relations fully bloom and dramatically develop.

Hand in hand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi I intend to make the "Confluence of the Two Seas" - the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean - open, peaceful and abundant, and we shall further advance peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region in the 21st century.

India has possibility for great development and enormous infrastructure demand. For many years, Japan has served as a development partner of India, and in recent years has been cooperating with India through the provision of yen loans on the largest scale. Also, in order to push forward sustainable growth, Japan is supporting a variety of Prime Minister Modi's initiatives such as "Make in India", "Skill India", and "Clean India".

Japan has been making contributions to the development of India through quality infrastructure that has outstanding economic efficiency, is in harmony with the environment, and is longlasting. One excellent example of this is the Delhi Metro, which is serving as an essential public transportation system for the people of Delhi. I am extremely happy that Prime Minister Modi has shared his hopes, saying, "No nation has contributed so much to India's modernisation and progress like Japan - cars, metros and industrial parks, for example. And, no partner is likely to play as big a role in India's transformation as Japan."

Japan's approach to business is to take time with regard to building things in India, and to build things that have quality and meet India's needs. Rather than imposing ideas, Japan takes a long view, becomes rooted in local communities, and thinks and walks forward together with the local people. The number of Japanese companies in India has grown to over 1,200. India with an abundant work force and high economic growth, and Japan with soft power, experience, technology, finance and discipline, have "mutual complementarity" and are natural partners that can develop a win-win relationship.

Japan and India are natural partners also in maritime security. Japan and India are two major seafaring countries of Asia, located in the cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific region. As such, our countries share extensive roles and responsibilities with regard to nurturing and enriching the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean to become seas of the clearest transparence, and keeping these seas open, free and safe.

In October this year, a Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel "Fuyuzuki" participated in the India-US "Malabar" exercise in Bay of Bengal. Japan will continue to participate in these important exercises on a regular basis hereafter.

At the East Asia Summit (EAS) in November, a concern was expressed regarding the trends in the South China Sea. In order to maintain an open, free and peaceful sea, it becomes important more and more for there to be collaboration between Japan and India, as well as collaboration with the international community including US.

India, a key player in the international community, plays a significant role on various issues which international society faces. From the standpoint of Japan's policy of "Proactive Contribution to Peace," which is based on the principle of international cooperation, Japan will contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and international community in a more proactive manner. Expressing my gratitude for the understanding and support of Prime Minister Modi to Japan's security policies, I intend to deepen cooperation with India based on the recently established "legislation for peace and security."

The fact that through United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform, our two countries are aiming to become new permanent members is also an important shared agenda. At the meeting of G4 leaders on UNSC Reform hosted by Prime Minister Modi in September, Prime Minister Modi, Chancellor Merkel of Germany, President Rousseff of Brazil, and I agreed to collaborate closely with the aim of delivering concrete outcomes during this session of the United Nations General Assembly, in order to reform the Security Council so that it reflects the realities of the 21st century. I am determined to promote UNSC reform continuously with close cooperation with Prime Minister Modi.

Expansion of cultural and personnel exchanges is a significant base to develop the Japan-India relationship in the long run.

Japan and India share a tradition of Buddhism, as well as fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Most Japanese respect India's mathematical ability and Indian civilisation going back thousands of years. Spreading an attitude of tolerance which accepts diversity throughout the Indo-Pacific region will contribute to the peace and stability of this region.

I intend to further promote exchanges between the people of Japan and India. In particular, I would like more Indian students to come to Japan, creating an abundance of young human resource.

We have the "bilateral relationship with the greatest potential in the world," and I will turn this potential into reality. I am convinced that Prime Minister Modi and I can achieve this by working together.

The writer is Prime Minister of Japan

[SSridhar]

Abe’s visit will deepen India-Japan ties: Modi - PTI

Welcoming his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described him as a “phenomenal leader” and said his trip will further deepen the bilateral relations.

“Liked how PM @AbeShinzo describes India-Japan ties, the rich potential & cultural bond in his piece” in a newspaper, Mr. Modi tweeted.

“India is all set to welcome its great friend & a phenomenal leader, PM @AbeShinzo. His visit will further deepen India-Japan relations,” he said in another tweet.

[SSridhar]

Abe off to India for talks with Modi on nuclear technology pact - Japan Times

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Friday for a three-day visit to India, where he will meet with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to discuss a proposed bilateral nuclear cooperation treaty.

Speaking to reporters at his office before departure from Tokyo International Airport at Haneda, Abe expressed his intention to make efforts to reach an agreement on measures to prevent Japanese nuclear technologies sold to India from being diverted to military use.

“Japan is the only country in the world that has ever suffered an atomic bombing,” Abe said. “We’re holding negotiations based on this fact.”

India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The nuclear cooperation agreement with India would be Japan’s first with a country outside the NPT regime.

Japan and India started negotiations on a bilateral nuclear cooperation treaty in 2010. They are in the final stages of discussions on whether to stipulate in the treaty that bilateral nuclear cooperation would be suspended if India conducts a nuclear test again. India has not carried out a nuclear test since 1998.

At their meeting slated for Saturday in New Delhi, Abe and Modi are also expected to reaffirm that their countries will strengthen cooperation with the United States at a time when China is accelerating its maritime expansion.

“I’m aiming for results (from the meeting) that will add strong momentum to the further development of the relationship between Japan and India,” Abe said.

The two leaders are also seen agreeing on the use of Japan’s shinkansen system for a planned high-speed railway between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India. Japan is planning to support the project with a large amount of low-interest yen loans.

On Thursday, an Indian government minister and official said India’s Cabinet has cleared a $14.7 billion Japanese proposal to build its first bullet train line, one of India’s biggest foreign investments in its infrastructure sector.

The decision ahead of Abe’s visit gives Japan an early lead over China, which is also bidding to build high-speed rail lines across large parts of India’s congested and largely British-era system.

Japan had offered to finance 80 percent of the cost of the train, which would link the financial capital Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the commercial center of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, at an interest rate of less than 1 percent.

“It’s been done,” said a government minister who attended the Cabinet meeting headed by Modi late on Wednesday.

An official in Modi’s office confirmed the decision, saying there were some issues relating to the bullet train that had since been sorted out in time for Abe’s visit.

“We expect to make an announcement during the visit,” the official said. Both the minister and the official declined to be identified.

Broad agreements are also likely to be reached on two bilateral treaties that would enhance defense cooperation between Japan and India.

One is designed to prevent the transfer of defense technologies to a third country, while the other will specify rules for information protection.{And, these two will hopefully lead to ShinMaywa production in India}

This is Abe’s third trip to India, including during his first tenure between 2006 and 2007. It will be the fifth time for him to have bilateral talks with Modi.

Abe and Modi will together visit the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi on Saturday in a gesture to further deepen their personal relationship of trust.

[svinayak]

Abe’s visit will deepen India-Japan ties: Modi - PTI

Welcoming his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described him as a “phenomenal leader” and said his trip will further deepen the bilateral relations.

“Liked how PM @AbeShinzo describes India-Japan ties, the rich potential & cultural bond in his piece” in a newspaper, Mr. Modi tweeted.

“India is all set to welcome its great friend & a phenomenal leader, PM @AbeShinzo. His visit will further deepen India-Japan relations,” he said in another tweet.

India should proclaim that Indian friendship with Japan is
Sweeter than sugarcane,
Stronger than hard steel
and bigger than the India-Pacific ocean which separates India and Japan

[SSridhar]

Japan keen on ‘making in India’ - Kallol Bhattacharjee, The Hindu

Japan’s new and aggressive investment plans in India will not be limited to mega infrastructure projects such as bullet trains and will cover almost the full spectrum of prominent government schemes such as “Make in India” and Swachh Bharat.

Expressing his government’s desire to invest in key sectors, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday said: “Japan has decades of experience of doing business with India. It is this experience which will help us in India.”

Mr. Abe delivered a brief speech at the Japan-India Innovation Seminar two hours after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday.

The seminar was attended by Hiroaki Nakanishi, CEO of Hitachi Ltd, Kaoru Yano, Chairman of the Board, NEC Corporation among several other top level officials and corporate heads who are also in town along with Mr Abe. Soon after his arrival Mr. Abe held a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the agenda for Saturday’s summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr. Abe will hold the summit meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, when key announcements on the bullet train, defence ties will be made.

The broader regional issues will be discussed at the meeting.

The bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and will be a showpiece of India-Japan collaboration. Japan has offered to finance 80 per cent of the cost of the project interest rate of less than 1 per cent.

But the high point of Modi-Abe summit of Saturday will be expression of Japan’s support to India’s growing presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Nuclear cooperation

Following his summit meeting, Prime Minister Abe is expected to announce steps that will help in realising India-Japan civil nuclear cooperation.

Japanese sources also told The Hindu that major defence cooperation agreements are expected during the visit to boost India’s defence production sector following the Make in India programme.

[SSridhar]

India-Japan sign MoU on civilian nuclear energy

Great news indeed.

[Philip]

Indo-Japan relations are on a roll and not too late either.This should've happened at least a decade ago when the UPA was in power.There was nothing to stop it from happening. The perpetual Chinese use of Pak as its anti-Indian spear point,its nuclear and missile largesse to Pak,has turned Pak into a virtual satellite province of China.In such circumstances,"my enemy's enemy is my friend".
India has had no choice but to leverage its ties with those nations threatened by China in Asia like Japan,Vietnam and SoKo. Ties with the Phillipines will also improve while those with Malaysia are v.good-our mil support for Sukhois,etc.

The Japanese US amphibs are welcome but very expensive. The IN should also look towards acquiring smaller amphibs from other sources.One problem with the Japanese amphibs is that they carry no ASW weaponry.This is a huge handicap,as the main threat to India will come from the undersea threat of China and Pak.Nevertheless,the acquisition of these amphibs fills a gaping void in our mil capabilities.

Large infrastructure projects,like letro rail,overland rail,roads,etc. could benefit from Japanese soft loans and tech support.The Japanese deliver the goods as it is a matter of honour first,business second.
Let the cherry blossom bloom in India, Banzai! Jai Hind!

[SSridhar]

India-Japan Developments - Economic Times

India on Saturday inked an MoU with Japan on civil nuclear energy and announced that the deal was not just about commerce and clean energy but also a sign of mutual confidence and partnership for a secure world.

The MoU was inked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

"No friend will matter more in realising India's economic dreams than Japan. We have made enormous progress in economic cooperation as also in our regional partnership and security cooperation," said Modi after signing the deal.

Stating that there was deep value for the strategic partnership between Japan and India, Modi said: "Shinzo has been prompt and positive on our economic proposals many of which are now unique to India. Japanese private investments are also rising sharply."

The two countries also inked two deals on security operations to deepen defence relations and for defence manufacturing.

Abe said: "We have taken relationship to a new level." {Very true indeed}

[panduranghari]

x post



From May 2015. I did search and it hasn't been posted.

Abe's visit to India might be for Indo-Japan nuclear deal as unless we sign one with Japan, we can't implement the one with US. If Abe signs the deal, then Obama and Abe could pressurise Westinghouse-GE and Toshiba-Hitachi to agree to the nuclear liability clause as presented by GOI and General Insurance Corp. of India.

[arun]

India-Japan sign MoU on civilian nuclear energy

Great news indeed.

Sridhar, You are being tad too generous. The amount of time that has passed since the inking of the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement required that a full fledged Civil Nuclear Agreement be signed with Japan. A mere Memorandum of Understanding is as they say a KLPD. Yawn …………….

Much as we Indian’s may hope, for the Japanese this trip is about exporting strictly non-dual use civilian products with some sound bites about civil nuclear co-operation holding out the hope for India that some day in the distant future Japan will stop using the excuse of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a crutch to cover up their second world war atrocities even while sheltering under the US Nuclear Umbrella .

[ramana]

Its the deal and not the goods. The NSG architecture was setup against India and India only. All others merrily proliferated.
Always recall code name for the shafts.

[A_Gupta]

Full Text of India-Japan Joint Statement: "The following is the full text of Joint Statement on India and Japan Vision 2025: Special Strategic and Global Partnership Working Together for Peace and Prosperity of the Indo-Pacific Region and the World."

http://www.catchnews.com/world-news/ful ... 26416.html

It is quite long, so not posting the full text here.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.newsx.com/national/15082-16- ... -and-japan
16 agreements signed between India and Japan

The following are the agreements.

1. Memorandum concerning the agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy: Both sides confirmed they have reached agreement on such cooperation.

2. Pact on high-speed trains: This memorandum confirms cooperation in developing Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor using Japanese high-speed rail technologies and financial and technical assistance.

3. Agreement concerning transfer of defence equipment and technology: This agreement provides a framework to enhance defence and security cooperation by making available to each other defence equipment and technology necessary to implement joint research, development and/or production projects.

4. Agreement concerning security measures for the protection of classified military information: This agreement ensures the reciprocal protection of classified military information transmitted to each other, provided that the terms of protection are consistent with the national laws and regulations of the Receiving Party.

5. Agreement on amending protocol of double taxation avoidance: This agreement amends the convention between India and Japan for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, signed in 1989.

6. Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India's ministry of railways and Japan's MLIT (ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism): This memorandum establishes areas for comprehensive technological cooperation, including sharing of information and best practices; exchanges of officials and technicians; facilitating the participation of other institutions, organisations and ministries; conducting joint research and studies.

7. Pact on technological cooperation between India's Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute (JRTRI): This memorandum proposes cooperation in the areas of safety in train operations; advanced techniques of maintenance; use of environment-friendly technologies etc.

8. Letter of Intent on the strategic international cooperation programme between India's Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JSTA): The programme promotes and supports collaborative activities, such as joint research projects, joint research laboratories and hub, joint seminars, symposia and other meetings between the research institutes and researchers supported by JSTA and DST.

9. Letter of Intent toward establishing a young researcher's exchange programme between the DST of India and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: The document intends to establish reciprocal fellowship programme for capacity building and human resource development in frontier areas of science and technology.

10. MoC between India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and Japan's ministry of health, labour and welfare: The memorandum establishes the medical products regulation dialogue and cooperation framework to facilitate a constructive dialogue in areas pertinent to raw materials for pharmaceutical use, biological products and medical devices.

11. MoC in the field of education between India's Ministry of Human Resource Development and Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: The memorandum encourages development of contacts and cooperation between the educational institutions of the two countries and possible support for exchange of aspiring students between India and Japan.

12. Statement of Intent between NITI Aayog and Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ): This statement lays down the broad mission of promoting cooperation between NITI Aayog and IEEJ for the purpose of analysing issues related to energy sector in order to examine and understand various energy sector related issues in the world.

13. Pact on cooperation between state government of Andhra Pradesh and Toyama Prefecture: The memorandum strengthens existing bonds between Andhra Pradesh and Toyama by facilitating mutual collaboration between their governments, institutions, and companies.

14. MoU between state government of Kerala and Lake Nakaumi, Lake Shinji and Mt. Daisen area Mayors Association: Under the memorandum, Kerala and the Sanin region, Japan, agree to develop trade, investment and economic relations between the business circles with particular focus on small and medium enterprises.

15. MoU between Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and Japan's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS): The memorandum promotes collaboration between the two institutions to enrich the intellectual environment of both.

16. MoC between India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: The memorandum endeavours to enhance cooperation in human resource development and institutional exchange between training institutes, sustainable forest management, enhancement of forest conservation and forest disaster prevention.

[A_Gupta]

TOI analysis of nuclear deal:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 151693.cms

Abe will have to get this agreement through the Japanese parliament, where he is sure to face a pushback from Japanese lawmakers who may not be as convinced about erstwhile nuclear outlier, India.

However, top Japanese officials speaking to TOI point to a different calculation within the Tokyo administration that may have tilted the scales. China's ability to quickly reverse engineer entire plants, trains etc and position themselves as global manufacturers has shaken Japan.

China has already taken the design of Westinghouse's AP1000 nuclear power plant, reverse engineered it and is rolling out the rebadged CAP1000, one of the first users of which will most likely be Pakistan.

It's this reality that prompted Abe to tell his senior officials, "economic choices are security choices."

Also, things have moved forward:

Early this year, India completed the administrative arrangements with the US on the India-US nuclear deal, addressing the tough issue of "tracking" of imported nuclear material in Indian plants.

Second, a deal between Areva and L&T signed during Modi's visit to Paris earlier this year means that not far in the future, L&T could be building complex and sophisticated reactor components in India, bringing down their cost, but also giving companies the option to source from places other than Japan.

Third, India and South Korea operationalized their bilateral nuclear deal last winter.

[SSridhar]

Japan hands out sweet deal for bullet train; beats expectations on soft loan terms - Mamuni Das, The Hindu

Longest loan tenor, longest moratorium on repayment and lowest interest rate — these three terms define the finance extended by Japan to India for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail in project, in context of Japan’s earlier loans to India in the rail-based sector.

The Japanese loan component of $12 billion has been worked out on one of the most attractive repayment terms at almost zero per cent – 0.1 per cent to be precise -- after pretty strong negotiations for the financing, with a 15-year moratorium on a 50-year repayment period.

The Delhi Metro and Chennai Metro projects had 30-year repayment tenor with interest rate of 1.2 and 1.4 per cent respectively, with 10-year moratorium period on repayment. Funds for freight corridor have been extended with 0.2 per cent interest rate and 40 years, with a year moratorium.

“The deal requires supply of eight-ten Japanese technology items such as rolling stock (train set), signalling and telecommunication systems. But this works out to be about 20-22 per cent, much lower than the extent of tied-component of 30 per cent in case of dedicated freight corridor,” explained a top railway official in the know.

According to an official statement, Japan has offered an assistance of over Rs79,000 crore. The loan is for a period of 50 years with 15 years moratorium with an interest rate of 0.1 per cent. The project is a 508 km line costing a total of Rs. 97,636 crore. Then the project is to be implemented in a period of seven years. It has been agreed that for the Mumbai – Ahmedabad HSR Project, Shinkansen Technology (Japanese high speed technology will be adopted. The cooperation of Japan on this project will also be fixed on transfer of technology and “Make in India”. Japan will assist India in training of personnel for high speed rail (HSR).

“The funding terms are very attractive. The long tenor will ensure that by the time the repayment starts, there is enough ridership between Ahmedabad and Mumbai,” Ajay Shankar, former DIPP secretary, who also heads a committee on public private partnership set up by the Indian Railways.

PROJECT STRUCTURING

The project structuring and administrative details will have to be worked out in the future. This was one of the fastest deals to be signed after JICA submitted the feasibility report in July.

“The project’s advantages can be captured better in a separate special purpose vehicle,” said Shankar. The project structure has to be made such that the benefits of increase in real estate costs can be ploughed back into the project, said another official source.

Along with the financing deal, there also other agreements related to the transfer of knowhow. For instance, Ministry of Railways and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Technological Cooperation in Rail Sector have signed agreement that establishes areas for technological cooperation including sharing of information and best practices; exchanges of officials and technicians; facilitating the participation of other institutions, organisations and ministries and conducting joint research and studies.

Another agreement is related to the memorandum of understanding on technological cooperation between Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO) and Japan Railway Technical Research Institute (JRTRI). The memorandum proposes to cooperate in the areas of safety in train operation; advanced techniques of maintenance; use of environment friendly technologies, said an official statement.

[SSridhar]

India-Japan sign MoU on civilian nuclear energy

Great news indeed.

Sridhar, You are being tad too generous. The amount of time that has passed since the inking of the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement required that a full fledged Civil Nuclear Agreement be signed with Japan. A mere Memorandum of Understanding is as they say a KLPD. Yawn …………….

Much as we Indian’s may hope, for the Japanese this trip is about exporting strictly non-dual use civilian products with some sound bites about civil nuclear co-operation holding out the hope for India that some day in the distant future Japan will stop using the excuse of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a crutch to cover up their second world war atrocities even while sheltering under the US Nuclear Umbrella

arun, I will set the context. Japan's was the shrillest voice after Shakti-II when when it imposed sanctions on India and stopped its Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). Now, Abe says, “It will not be a surprise if in another decade Japan-India relations overtake Japan-U.S. and Japan-China ties.” When tsunami & Fukushima happened, Japan cut ODA to all countries except India.

It is also incorrect to simply dismiss Japanese sensitivities to nuclear weapons. Whether they are morally correct or not, the fact is that there is a strong opposition within the ruling Japanese dispensation for n-deal. I won't even put this alleged duplicity anywhere near how our own Indians belonging to CPI-M staging protests in New Delhi yesterday against the MoU when their mother country China is not only setting up n-power stations all over but also one of the most devastating proliferators! In Japan, there was even a strong opposition to alter their Constitution to enable the self-defence forces to become stronger and more proactive! This, when China is posing more security challenges to Japan every passing day.

Sometimes, we have to be patient. But, the MoU alone is a very significant event.

[RoyG]

Its the deal and not the goods. The NSG architecture was setup against India and India only. All others merrily proliferated.
Always recall code name for the shafts.

The TN design went into the shaft named "White House"

[SSridhar]

^ That's why I would say that the eventual deal with the Japanese (after Canada & Australia, the other shrill voices) and India's entry into NSG, MTCR, Wassenaar Agreement & the Australia Group would signify a victory for India even if they may not materially alter anything else on the ground. Even China has indicated nuclear collaboration with India after having drafted and sponsored the UNSC 1172 resolution.

[Prem]

Its the deal and not the goods. The NSG architecture was setup against India and India only. All others merrily proliferated.
Always recall code name for the shafts.
The TN design went into the shaft named "White House"

And you know cleaning, polishing the shaft have entirely different meaning in Massaland. TN did the fine job of exploding and shattering many designs and walls.

[SSridhar]

Defence ties reset as Japan joins Malabar naval exercises - Kallol Bhattacharjee, The Hindu

Charting a new course, India and Japan on Saturday announced a series of military and strategic agreements and understandings. Unveiling the new bilateral military cooperation, visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, “We have created a new chapter in India-Japan relationship with important defensive initiatives.” The high point of the new strategic and military realignment is Japan’s formal entry into the India-U.S. Malabar bilateral maritime exercises, turning it into a trilateral initiative aimed at ensuring peace, security and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Announcing the landmark naval trilateral, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said: “From now Japan will be a formal partner of the Malabar exercise.”

“Defence related agreements are the most important part of this particular visit by Shinzo Abe,” Yasuhisa Kawamura, Director General for Press and Public Diplomacy of Japan told The Hindu in an exclusive meeting.

We are now waiting for the announcement of the first joint exercise between the two air forces. It is already in the works. A few months back the Japanese embassy added an air force attache to its staff.

[SSridhar]

Defence ties with Japan to help ‘Make in India’ - Kallol Bhattacharjee, The Hindu

The Director General for Press and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Yasuhisha Kawamura told The Hindu that defence ties with India are now “fundamentally important” to Japan and that India’s flagship “Make in India” programme also will benefit from defence co-production plans.

Following Saturday’s understanding, it is expected that Japan will soon take up production of US-2 amphibious aircraft, 15 of which are reportedly to be purchased by India.

Japanese sources emphasised that the emerging military ties are not targeted at China. “The Malabar naval trilateral is does not have any designated target, and we plan to work with India and the U.S. for peace, security, freedom of navigation, in the South China Sea and the important energy lanes of Indo-Pacific region,” Mr. Kawamura said. He pointed out that there were serious challenges emerging between China and Japan.

No n-deal

The positive military-level negotiations however, did not help in ensuring the final draft of the civil nuclear deal. Briefing the media, Foreign Secretary Jaishankar pointed out that “legal, legislative, expert-level negotiations are yet to be concluded though the government-to-government negotiation on the principles have been sealed”.

Apparently, the Indian side gave assurances to Japan’s strong non-proliferation lobby to expedite the deal, the Japanese preferred to play safe and sought time for Prime Minister Abe to convince the Japanese parliament on the assurances.

[SSridhar]

N-deal hinges on Abe’s political skills - Kallol Bhattacharjee, The Hindu

The civilian nuclear deal between India and Japan which has been under negotiation since 2010 finally might move beyond the “nullification clause” which had been the major condition that Japan refused to compromise on in the previous rounds of negotiations. However, complex legislative negotiation in Tokyo will determine how fast both sides can finalise the draft of the civilian nuclear energy treaty.

Speaking to The Hindu , Yasuhisa Kawamura, Director General of Press and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said the latest round of negotiations has not imposed any restrictive measures on India.

Voluntary moratorium

“Japan is satisfied by the fact that India has a voluntary moratorium on further nuclear testing. Earlier India separated its military and civilian nuclear programme and that apart we also appreciate India’s policy on reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel which provides further safeguards,” Mr Kawamura said.

In view of the several steps that India has already taken in the field of nuclear safety and nuclear fuel reprocessing, Japan has not insisted on any “nullification clause” during the latest round of negotiations, Mr Kawamura said.

It is this relaxation of some of the past rigidity which paved the way for the MoU on the principles of negotiation exchanged during the latest visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India.

Japan had previously insisted on the “nullification clause” which would allow automatic freezing of India-Japan nuclear ties if New Delhi carried out any further nuclear tests.

Nuclear experts and commentators are however, pointing out that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will find it tough to justify discarding of the “nullification clause” in the Japanese parliament. {The alteration of the pacifist constitution would have been several times tougher for Abe than this} Prof Anuradha Chenoy, Dean, School of International Studies, JNU, told The Hindu that the sidelining of the “nullification clause” is meant to save the nuclear deal but a lot will depend in the coming months on the political acumen of Mr. Abe and his cross-party networking in the Japanese parliament.

“The good thing is that Prime Minister Abe is deeply influenced by India and seems personally committed to push the nuclear deal in the Japanese parliament but it is not easy as the Japanese parliament has a dedicated lobby which is opposed to nuclear negotiation or civilian deals with non-members of the NPT,” Prof. Chenoy said.

‘Abe facing pressure’

Arundhati Ghose, India’s former Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament (CD) said the commercial pragmatism of the Japanese nuclear lobby will help in finalising the deal soon. “The specificity of the Japan-India civil nuclear negotiation is its commercial aspect. Because of the commercial aspect, Mr. Abe is under pressure from Japanese nuclear energy giants like Toshiba and Hitachi, who own American nuclear energy firms like Westinghouse and GE. In brief, Mr Abe will have to free Japanese nuclear companies so that the American companies can benefit from energy deals with India, as without that, the India-U.S. nuclear deal remains unfulfilled too,” Ms Ghose explained.

Japan is also perceived to be trailing behind France, China, Australia and Canada due to its rigid stance. Ms. Ghose pointed out that India’s nuclear deals with Australia and Canada did not attract so much attention as the one with Japan mainly due to the fact that the India-Japan nuclear deal, once sanctified by Japan’s parliament will change the western nuclear energy market.

Finalisation of the deal will signal an irreversible change in the international civilian nuclear market of which India is poised to be a major consumer. But for now, it is for Mr Abe to convince the Japanese parliament that the time for civil nuclear deal between India and Japan has finally arrived.

[SSridhar]

India, Japan chart Asia’s peaceful rise - Sanjaya Baru, The Hindu

When the purohit at Kashi’s Dashashwamedh Ghat applied sandalwood paste and vermilion on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s forehead, that red dot on white paste looked like Japan’s national flag. The Sanskrit chanting that accompanied the Ganga aarti after sunset symbolised a new beginning to an old friendship between India and the Land of the Rising Sun.

Standing next to him on the banks of the Ganga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could well have recalled the words of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, uttered a hundred years ago in July 1916, to an audience of young students in Tokyo: “I offer, as did my ancestor rishis, my salutation to that sunrise of the East, which is destined once again to illumine the whole world.”

Old bonds, new zeal

More than two decades before Tagore paid his tribute to Japan’s cultural and civilisational attributes, an Indian engineer, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, visited Japan and wrote eloquently about its technological progress and the lessons Japan’s industrial development and economic rise have for India. India’s national leaders drew inspiration not just from Tagore’s poetic tributes and Visvesvaraya’s practical lessons, but equally from Japan’s victory over Russia at the beginning of the 20th century — the first Asian nation to vanquish a Western power. India was among the few countries that stood by Japan as it expressed remorse, nursed its wounds, and sought to rebuild after the Second World War.

Despite this bond between these two Asian nations, it has taken more than a decade of concerted effort to finally get both governments to commit themselves to a transformation of a “Special Strategic and Global Partnership… into a deep, broad-based and action-oriented partnership, which reflects a broad convergence of their long-term political, economic and strategic goals”. The Joint Statement issued by both Prime Ministers clears many cobwebs out of the bilateral equation, especially on contentious issues such as cooperation in the development of nuclear energy and defence capability.

If United States President George Bush had to overrule what strategic affairs guru K. Subrahmanyam famously dubbed as “the Ayatollahs of nuclear non-proliferation” in Washington, D.C., to extend to India full cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, Prime Minister Abe had to battle many post-Hiroshima ghosts and Japan’s own anti-nuclear fundamentalists (ensconced within the safety of the U.S. nuclear umbrella) to be able to extend to India a hand of cooperation in the nuclear and defence field.

Seventeen Decembers ago, and six months after India declared itself a nuclear weapon state (Pokhran-II), inviting Japanese economic sanctions, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee deputed a team of security analysts and retired officials to reach out to counterparts in Japan, explain India’s strategic compulsions to Japanese opinion-makers, and secure an end to sanctions. In December 1998, K. Subrahmanyam led a delegation that included defence analyst Jasjit Singh, former Defence Secretary N.N. Vohra (now Governor of Jammu and Kashmir) and Ambassador Arjun Asrani, a Japanese-speaking diplomat. Realising the need to draw Japanese attention to India’s economic and business potential, and not just explain her security concerns, Mr. Subrahmanyam invited me, at the time the editor of a financial daily, to join this distinguished group.

Our challenge in using the carrot of business opportunity in India against the stick of Japanese economic sanctions was made worse by the fact that Japanese business was not only unenthusiastic about India but was in thrall of the lucrative business opportunity in China. Through the 1990s, China was the biggest recipient of both Japanese aid and investment while Japanese teams would visit India only to submit long lists of demands and complaints about how inhospitable India was to foreign investors.

The China factor

Two things made Japan wake up to the India opportunity. First, the fact that countries like South Korea began to overtake Japan in the Indian market. Second, the emergence of China as the world’s second-biggest economy, overtaking Japan. However, more than the change in the business environment in India, it is the growing challenge posed by China’s rise that has finally forced Japan to invest in India’s rise.

Over the past decade, successive Indian and Japanese leaders have been paying greater attention to the bilateral relationship, but due credit should be given to Prime Ministers Abe and Modi for taking the relationship to an altogether higher level of long-term strategic, economic and cultural engagement. The India-Japan Vision 2025 statement jointly issued by both leaders in New Delhi last week is the most comprehensive statement of long-term bilateral engagement defined by shared interests and values.

By crossing long-standing red lines in a couple of important areas, the joint statement has cut through some Gordian knots. First, the agreement on peaceful uses of nuclear energy ends years of painstaking negotiations, delayed both by the Fukushima nuclear tragedy in Japan and India’s own confused legislation of a nuclear liability law. Second, India’s decision to agree to “tied aid”, enabling Japanese funds to finance Japanese investment, especially in infrastructure and high-speed railway projects. Third, India’s willingness to promote Japanese industrial townships aimed at making India a more hospitable destination for Japanese business.

Shared strategic concerns

The 44-paragraph Joint Statement sets out a detailed framework for a privileged bilateral partnership that seeks to address a range of Japanese concerns about the security, viability and profitability of Japanese investments in India. This detailing has now been made possible because both Japan and India have come to understand the strategic importance for themselves of their bilateral partnership in a world in which China looms larger and the United States and Europe remain preoccupied with their own problems.

While Japan is a member of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and India is not, both countries are engaged in creating a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Japan has agreed to support India’s case for membership of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), even as the U.S. continues to drag its feet over this. The Joint Statement repeatedly refers to the Indo-Pacific as the shared region of strategic engagement for both powers.

There are several interesting new initiatives that Mr. Abe and Mr. Modi have signed on for. One of them is an agreement for Japanese funding of India’s own “belt-and-road” connectivity projects across Asia. While committing itself to investing in infrastructure within India to improve road and rail connectivity, Japan has also agreed to promote India’s “Act East” policy by developing and strengthening “reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructures that augment connectivity within India and between India and other countries in the region” aimed at advancing Asian industrial networks and regional value chains with open, fair and transparent business environment in the region. Japan and India can build road and rail connectivity across the Eurasian landmass, running parallel to China’s own “One Belt, One Road” project.

All this signals a new level of partnership between Asia’s two great democracies, imparting new self-confidence to both nations at a particularly critical moment in Asia’s emerging power structure. In 1916, Gurudev Tagore ended his Tokyo speech with these words: “When Japan is in imminent peril of neglecting to realise where she is great, it is the duty of a foreigner like myself to remind her, that she has given rise to a civilisation which is perfect in its form, and has evolved a sense of sight which clearly sees truth in beauty and beauty in truth. She has achieved something which is positive and complete… Such a civilisation has the gift of immortality; for it does not offend against the laws of creation and is not assailed by all the forces of nature. I feel it is an impiety to be indifferent to its protection from the incursion of vulgarity of power.”

In 1916 Tagore had the vulgarity of European power in mind. Today, Japan and India are mindful of new centres of assertive power and have reminded each other of the immortality of their own civilisation and the potential of their partnership in ensuring Asia’s peaceful rise.

(Sanjaya Baru is Director for Geo-economics and Strategy, International Institute of Strategic Studies, and Honorary Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi.)

[member_19686]

2015.12.24 (Thu)
ABE’S PROACTIVE DIPLOMACY SECURES STRONG START FOR GREATER INDIA-JAPAN COOPERATION
　　　　　The recent visit to India by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, I believe, has significantly contributed to the stability not only of Japan-India relations but also of the Asia-Pacific region.

　　　　　During his visit December 11-13, Abe managed to sign agreements on the construction of a “bullet train” high-speed railway system as well as the transfer of defense technology, classified intelligence, and arms and equipment between the two nations. A combination of a strong Japan and a strong India will constitute a powerful force, contributing to and protecting the stability of the Asian region against the aggressive rise of China.

　　　　　That Japan and India also reached a basic agreement on bilateral nuclear cooperation is a significant achievement for Abe. There are those in Japan who oppose providing India nuclear technology, asserting that India, despite being a nuclear nation, has yet to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or the Comprehensible Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). However, such criticism will automatically dissipate if one realizes how India has viewed, and dealt with, nuclear power over the years, reminding one that Japan in reality has much to learn from her partner in this area.

　　　　　In point of fact, India had begun studying peaceful uses of nuclear power prior to the end of the Greater East Asian War (1941-1945) at least ten years earlier than Japan.. Professor Kumao Kaneko, who heads the private Society for Strategic Energy Studies, points out the surprising fact that scientists from India—which at the time was still a British colony—conducted nuclear research in the UK and were even involved in the Manhattan Project. (See Japan Must Wake Up from Nuclear Fallacy, in India-Japan Joint Studies, vol. 2: The Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, Tokyo; 2012.)

　　　　　Professor Homi K. Bhabha of Harvard University, known as the “Father of Nuclear Power in India,” served as chairman of the first International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, sponsored by the United Nations in Geneva in 1955. A young politician named Yasuhiro Nakasone who attended the conference was awakened to the need for the development of nuclear power in Japan. He began vigorously arguing for the merits of nuclear power soon after his return to Tokyo, prompting the Japanese government to engage in the study of nuclear power despite the “nuclear allergy” resulting from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US.

　　　　　India later placed an emphasis on nuclear tests, reflecting a desperate strategy to defend itself against the threat of attack from its two hostile neighbors—China and Pakistan.

Privileges of Nuclear Power

　　　　　India, which had been pursuing a policy of peaceful non-alignment, was thunderstruck by China’s massive invasion of its territory on October 20, 1962. India took heavy losses in a series of defeats in the wake of the sudden Chinese assault, with nearly 3,300 of its soldiers killed in battle. Amid this resounding success, however, China abruptly declared a cease-fire.

　　　　　Why did this sudden invasion and cease-fire happen at this time? It was all part of a grand plan concocted by Mao Zedong, asserts Brahma Chellaney, one of India’s leading strategists who serves as a professor at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research.

　　　　　Mao viewed the Cuban Crisis of October 1962 as a golden opportunity to invade India. With the Soviet Union having secretly deployed nuclear warheads and medium-range ballistic missiles in Cuba, President Kennedy established a naval blockade around China and sternly demanded that the Soviet offensive weapons be immediately dismantled and returned to the USSR. The beginning and the end of China’s aggression against India coincided perfectly with the start of the Cuban Crisis and the official end of the US blockade.

　　　　　Mao had obviously thought the Chinese invasion would not attract the world’s attention under the tense situation that threatened a nuclear war between the US and the USSR. Unquestionably, he sought to take full advantage of the crisis in Cuba to resolve the China-India border dispute in his own favor.

　　　　　Two years later, in 1964, China suddenly conducted a nuclear test, joining the ranks of the nuclear power. Then in 1967, it succeeded in its first hydrogen bomb test.

　　　　　Meanwhile, in 1970, the international community enacted the NPT. It was an agreement which granted only the five nuclear powers—the US, the USSR, Great Britain, France, and China—the right to possess nuclear weapons, permanently differentiating between nuclear powers and non-nuclear powers. The five “have” nations can manufacture any number of nuclear weapons without reproach—and without even being inspected by IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency). India, on the other hand, even though it faces the threat of a nuclear China, is banned from owning nuclear weapons as a means of safeguarding its domestic security.

　　　　　India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974 clearly as a response to China’s aggressive nuclear program. Twenty-four years later, in May 1998, India again conducted a nuclear test, followed by one by its neighbor Pakistan two weeks later.

　　　　　President Bill Clinton sternly criticized India at the time. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vagpayee replied in writing, stating: that India shares its border with nuclear power China; that China invaded India in 1962; and that China has further practically helped another neighbor, Pakistan, become a nuclear power.

　　　　　In fact, Deng Xiaoping started supporting Pakistan’s nuclear development in 1982, and conducted—on Pakistan’s behalf—a nuclear test at Lop Nur in the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region on May 26, 1990.

　　　　　Japan has placed itself under the US nuclear umbrella, but under its policy of nonalignment, India has no one to turn to. It is, therefore, only natural that its leaders want to defend their nation from the nuclear threats from China and Pakistan by possessing their own nuclear weapons. Were Japan in India’s position, would it be able to develop nuclear weapons for its national defense? Do today’s Japanese, inclined to constantly turn to the US for protection, have the mettle to satisfactorily defend their nation on their own? Doesn’t India’s experience force us to grapple with this difficult question?

World’s Biggest Democracy

　　　　　When George W. Bush became President, the US took steps towards improvement of the relationship between “the world’ oldest democracy” and “the world’s largest democracy,” signing in 2008 a nuclear cooperation agreement with India, which had yet to join the NPT.

　　　　　The US turned down Pakistan’s request for the same treatment, because the nation was plainly responsible for proliferating nuclear weapons, as demonstrated by its delivery of Chinese-given nuclear technology to North Korea in exchange for its Nodong missiles. Although not a signatory to the NPT, the Bush administration recognized that India had discreetly endeavored to prevent nuclear proliferation.

　　　　　While China has benefitted from every transfer of technology, including nuclear, India has refrained from seeking such benefits. Considering China’s outrageous acts of nuclear proliferation over the years, this gap in the treatment of these two nations is simply unacceptable. First and foremost, China is a nation ruled under a one-party dictatorship devoid of the freedom of speech. Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic has frequently launched attacks on the 14 nations it shares its borders with. And today, it is the cause of the disputes in the South China Sea.

　　　　　Meanwhile, India is the world’s largest democracy, as Bush has put it, far from a one-party dictatorship. It has never caused conflicts with or launched attacks on its neighbors, although it has responded to attacks for self-defense. That understandably was why former Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada of the Japan Democratic Party administration headed by then Prime Minister Naoto Kan started negotiations on a nuclear power cooperation agreement with India. The negotiations got off to a good start, but no agreement was reached, as Okada was prominently reported in India as remarking that “Japan would have to stop cooperating with India if nuclear testing is resumed by India.” The 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster also adversely affected the outcome of the negotiations.

　　　　　After India declared its moratorium on further nuclear testing in September 2008, however, nations including the US, France, Russia, Canada, and South Korea, have viewed India as trustworthy and signed bilateral agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation. Also putting full trust in India on the basis of its years of efforts for nuclear non-proliferation, Japan must sign a full agreement as soon as possible. Signing such an agreement, I firmly believe, will strengthen the combined capabilities of both nations and significantly contribute to the stability and prosperity of Asia.

(Translated from “Renaissance Japan” column no. 685 in the December 24, 2015 issue of The Weekly Shincho)

http://en.yoshiko-sakurai.jp/2015/12/24/7015

[A_Gupta]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vij ... 037349.ece
"Strong India good for Japan: Toyoma Governor Takakakzu"

Mr. Takakazu said "Considering India’s enormous potential economic growth and development, partnership with Andhra Pradesh is extremely important for vitalising our prefecture’s economy and society.

Japan’s Toyama Prefecture, Governor Takakazu Ishhi here on Monday said a strong India was good for Japan and similarly a strong Japan was good for India.

Mr. Takakakzu led a 19-member delegation to Andhra Pradesh to sign a memorandum of understanding in different fields, including pharma, education, electronics and others, which help in economic development of Andhra Pradesh and Toyoma.

[SSridhar]

Indo-Japan joint exercise from Jan. 12 - Dennis S Jesudasan, The Hindu

The latest edition of ‘Sahyog-Kaijin,’ the Indo-Japan Coast Guard Joint Exercise, will begin in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast on January 12.

The five-day event would witness seminars and exercises involving strategic assets of both the countries, besides meeting of high-level officials in Delhi and Chennai, sources said.

While one ship would represent the Japanese side, five to six ships are expected to participate from the Indian Coast Guard. The Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard would also meet his Indian counterpart in Delhi and later arrive in Chennai.

This would be the second time in the last three months that a ship from Japanese military is participating in an exercise with India in the Bay of Bengal.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force’s, FS Fuyuzuk, called on the Chennai port in October last year and later participated in trilateral Malabar exercise with the Indian and the U.S. navies.

During the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India last month, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar had said that Japan would be a permanent partner in the Malabar naval exercise along with India and U.S. navies.

Japan is also likely to send its maritime assets to participate in the International Fleet Review to be conducted by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam next month.

Sahyog-Kaijin is held once in two years and the venue would shift between India and Japan on alternate occasions. India’s ICGS Samudra Paheredar participated in the 2014 edition held at Yokohama in Japan.

[SSridhar]

Make in India and the Expanding Scope for India-Japan Defence Cooperation - Titli Basu, IDSA

India’s Act East policy and Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India drive coincide with the shifts in the Japanese post-war security policy and the April 2014 easing of the self-imposed arms export ban. The Agreement concerning transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation signed during the latest visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on December 12, 2015 unveils a new chapter in India-Japan defence cooperation by making available defence equipment and technology needed to carry out joint research, development and/or production projects.1 India’s defence modernisation presents enormous opportunities for the Japanese defence industry, which until recently concentrated exclusively on the domestic market in order to demonstrate Japan’s commitment to peace. Now, there is tremendous scope for redefining the contours of the bilateral defence cooperation by way of transfer of, and collaboration on, projects related to defence equipment and technology.

The most recent India-Japan Defence Ministerial Meeting in March 2015 underscored that defence technology cooperation “can emerge as a key pillar of bilateral defence relations”.2 Besides, Japan has been identified as a privileged partner in the Make in India campaign by Defence Minister Parrikar.3 India is interested in joint development and production of defence equipment. The progress on sourcing Japanese defence technology – for instance, negotiation on the Utility Seaplane Mark 2 (US-2) amphibian aircraft – is now in its final stages. Moreover, the manufacturers of the US-2 amphibian aircraft, ShinMaywa Industries, initiated discussions with several Indian counterparts as India and Japan debated the prospects of assembling the aircraft in India. The Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company will reportedly partner with ShinMaywa Industries in assembling the aircraft in India.4

India plans to obtain 12 US-2 aircraft for use in patrolling the Andaman and Nicobar islands and conducting search and rescue operations in the Indian Ocean. While Bombardier (Canada) and Beriev (Russia) expressed interest in responding to the Request for Information (RFI), the US-2’s competence vis-à-vis rapid surveillance and response enabled by state of the art technology, rough sea operation capability, lake/riverine landing capacity, and short take-off and landing characteristics are best suited for securing critical SLOCs, conducting air sea rescue, casualty evacuation, humanitarian relief and disaster management, as well as constabulary operations and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) assignments of the Indian Navy. While ShinMaywa Industries is not a fresh entrant in India – it has provided aerobridges for airports and set up waste water treatment pumps5 — the US-2 is the first Japanese aircraft offered to India which is otherwise used mainly by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

Earlier, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) pressure on the Abe administration had enabled a policy shift in April 2014 concerning the export of military equipment aimed at supporting Japanese firms, which were restricted to the domestic needs of the Self-Defense Forces. Following this, Japan has entered into several military technology deals, including the export of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries manufactured gyroscopes to enhance the accuracy of the US developed Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) missile interceptors, supplying sensor technology to Britain aimed at improving air-to-air missile guiding capabilities {India should take note and initiate discussions with Japan on these as well if we find them suitable}, exploring the prospects of a submarine deal with Australia, and building underwater drones and robots capable of operating in radioactive surroundings with France.

Building upon the deepening bonhomie, Modi had earlier encouraged Japan to participate in Project 75 India. The objective is to strengthen naval power by building six stealth submarines in India. He welcomed the manufacturers of the ultra-quiet Soryu class non-nuclear attack submarine, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, to compete with other contractors including DCNS of France, HDW of Germany, Rosoboron export of Russia and Navantia of Spain.6 It is, however, important to note that in such projects, technology prerequisites, project timeframes, and economic practicability often complicate military technology cooperation. Besides, cooperation and access to Japanese technologies including communications, electronic warfare technologies, and surveillance radars should be explored.

So far, the compass of bilateral defence cooperation has included high level defence exchanges involving the Defence Ministers, Vice-Minister/Defence Secretary level Defence Policy Dialogue, Vice-Minister/Secretary level 2+2 dialogue, and visit by the Service Chiefs. JMSDF and the Indian Navy engage in joint exercises in bilateral or trilateral frameworks focusing on anti-piracy drills and search and rescue operations. The Indian Army and Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) engage in professional exchanges in humanitarian assistance/ disaster relief and counter-terrorism. Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) and the Indian Air Force hold staff talks and official exchanges of test-pilots and air transport squadrons. In addition, there are exchanges on UN peace keeping operations between the Centre for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK) of the Indian Army and the Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC) of the Joint Staff College and the Central Readiness Force (CRF) of JGSDF.7 In a welcome development, Japan has also become a regular partner in the India-US Malabar Exercise. Besides, an agreement concerning security measures for the protection of classified military information has been signed during the latest summit which guarantees the mutual protection of confidential military information shared with each other, provided they are consistent with the national laws of the receiving party.8

India-Japan relations have been elevated to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in the 2014 Tokyo Declaration. For long, maritime cooperation constituted the core of India-Japan defence and security cooperation. To add further value to the relationship that has ‘the largest potential in the world’,9 defence cooperation needs to advance from joint exercises and multi-faceted exchange frameworks to co-development and co-production of sophisticated defence equipment and technologies. The December 12, 2015 agreement on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation is a big step that will further consolidate India-Japan strategic ties. Since both Modi and Abe have pledged to realise the full potential of the partnership, this is an opportune time for addressing the challenges and producing tangible gains while deepening the scope of India-Japan defence cooperation.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ ... -2-partner
Indonesia Could Trump India as Japan’s US-2 Partner

India's aerospace industry stands to miss out on a production partnership for Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 amphibian aircraft, according to sources close to the situation. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi last month and stressed “the full potential of an India-Japan strategic and global partnership.” However, a deal proposed during their previous meeting in 2014 for final assembly in India of the US-2 remains unsigned. Indian defense industry sources speaking to AIN on condition of anonymity said that the delay might cause the Japanese to turn instead to Indonesia as a production partner.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense presented a detailed report on production arrangements for the amphibian in India last year, but Indian government paperwork for clearance of the project is yet to start. Meanwhile, though, Indonesia is increasingly concerned about Chinese expansion into the islands of the South China Sea. It also sees the potential for maritime rescue operations in Southeast Asia . Influential Indonesian politician Setya Novanto met Abe last November. “Japan cannot wait forever,” the Indian official told AIN.

[A_Gupta]

Japanese complaint about BBC coverage.
http://moderntokyotimes.com/?p=4089

Japan is still the most powerful nation in the Asia Pacific (among the elites internationally) in terms of income, transparency, rights of women, corporate law, modernity, a powerful middle class, state of the art technology, and in many other areas in comparison with China and India. Of course, smaller nations like Taiwan and Singapore are equally modern and have fine attributes but their scope for being major powers are hampered by various obvious factors. Therefore, why does the BBC highlight China and India separately in their Asia section while ignoring Japan?

[SSridhar]

Japanese complaint about BBC coverage.
http://moderntokyotimes.com/?p=4089

Japan is still the most powerful nation in the Asia Pacific (among the elites internationally) in terms of income, transparency, rights of women, corporate law, modernity, a powerful middle class, state of the art technology, and in many other areas in comparison with China and India. Of course, smaller nations like Taiwan and Singapore are equally modern and have fine attributes but their scope for being major powers are hampered by various obvious factors. Therefore, why does the BBC highlight China and India separately in their Asia section while ignoring Japan?

Simply because China and India have the momentum that Japan doesn't have.

[A_Gupta]

Relevant to the ringing of China.
http://www.canindia.com/japan-britain-a ... operation/
"Japan, Britain agree to boost defence cooperation"

Tokyo, Jan 9 (IANS) Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani and British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon in Saturday agreed to bolster bilateral cooperation.

Nakatani and Fallon met on Saturday in Tokyo. Fallon came to Japan for a meeting of foreign affairs and defence chiefs that was held on Friday, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Nakatani said it is meaningful that the ministers exchanged views on North Korea and China. He added that he wants to deepen defence cooperation through further discussions.

Fallon said certain parties in the region are changing the status quo not through negotiation but by force and intimidation. He said he wants to study ways to expand bilateral security relations.

[Prem]