India and Japan: News and Discussion

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 14 Oct 2013 18:26

Potential Rises with India's Booming Middle Class - Japan Times

Japanese firms need to — and some are starting to — better understand the changing behavior of Indian consumers to succeed in the region’s new economic powerhouse, journalists from Indian media organizations said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.

The Indian economy rapidly decelerated over the past few years to an annual growth of 4-5 percent — compared with the 8-9 percent growth in the preceding years — amid the global slowdown and the country’s own twin deficits. Still, political stability and economic reforms will likely continue even if the 2014 general election should result in the first change of government in a decade, they said.

The four Indian journalists discussed the country’s economy mainly in terms of the changing consumer market conditions, infrastructure development, investment opportunities and political prospects during the symposium organized by the Keizai Koho Center on Sept. 20.

“In the past, Japanese companies did not understand the Indian market and its price sensitivity as the Koreans did. Now they’re making a special effort not only focusing on the high technology, but adapting themselves to the reality of the market,” said Bharat Bhushan, a senior academic consultant to the Indian Council for Social Science Research.

Bhushan, a former reporter for various Indian business publications, cited the recent moves by Japanese automakers as examples. “Companies like Suzuki concentrated on the lower end of the market, while Honda concentrated on what is considered the upper end of the market (with its models like City, Civic and Accord). But the space left (between them) has been occupied by South Korean companies who brought in smaller and cheaper cars,” he said. “Now Honda has adopted a model for India specifically for India … that’s smaller and more suited to Indian needs.”

Bhushan said that in the development of the car, Honda brought in female employees from India to test how women wearing sari can get in and out of the vehicle. “This is what I mean by Japanese companies trying to understand not only how price sensitive the market is, but also culturally who are the people who drive, who makes the decision to buy the car or who’s going to drive it,” he said, adding that these are the efforts that help companies expand their market share in the long run.

Suzuki Motor Co.’s joint venture with local partner Maruti has often been cited as a success story of Japanese investment in India — even though the venture suffered a labor dispute that resulted in fatalities in one of its plants last year. Kaushik Mitter, managing editor of the Asian Age newspaper, said that while Maruti did not have any presence in the Indian market before its venture with Suzuki, finding a good local partner can be crucial for Japanese investments to succeed.

Japanese firms may make good products, but they may not have adequately studied the requirements of the market specific to India, “and that’s why sometimes it took longer for them to make headway,” Mitter said. To find a good local partner, “you have to look at the sector you wish to enter and which are the successful Indian companies and look for possible collaborations with them,” he noted.

“Indian market conditions sometimes vary widely from those of other Asian economies. … Purchasing power of Indian consumers are much lower than in Southeast Asia. The same products that may be hugely successful in Malaysia and Indonesia may have to be tweaked quite a bit to be successful in the Indian market,” he said.

Still, these conditions including consumers’ price sensitivity are also changing rapidly, said Sankhadip Das, a special correspondent for the Anandabazar Patrika daily.

With its young demographic pattern, India has a huge population in the 25-35 age bracket, and typical consumers in this group are ready to pay a price for good technology, he said.

“They have large disposable income. … They may be earning more salary than the amount their fathers were getting when they retired from service 10 years ago,” he said. “Five or six years back, nobody could have thought of buying a cellphone for 35,000 rupees. Now people of my age group across gender are buying iPhone, Samsung and Sony Xperia.

“They’re not thinking twice as soon as the products arrive in the market, and are ready to pay for more technologically advanced products. This spending pattern has been the same across sectors — cars, mobile phones, personal computers, tablets and everything,” Das said.

Bhushan of the Indian Council for Social Science Research said it must be noted that nearly 60 percent of India’s entire population even today has a spending power of only up to $2 a day. “So what we’re catering to is really the top 1 or 2 percent of the population, but in India’s terms it’s a huge market given the population,” he said.

“The middle class is growing by leaps and bounds and that is really the market you should look at. It’s not limited only to big cities but now tier-two cities and that’s where special marketing effort is required,” he noted. “Purchasing power is growing. Every year 1 percent of the population goes above the poverty line, and that will tell you how dynamic the Indian society is.”

Mitter of the Asian Age newspaper said that when compared to China, the purchasing power of Chinese consumers is still far ahead and it would take some time before India can catch up. Still, the gap with China is much narrower when it comes to consumers in rural areas, he said.

Subhomoy Bhattacharjee, deputy editor of the Indian Express daily, said studies by consumer research organizations indicate that Indian consumers today are “much more discerning.”

In their choice of consumer products, people in India “are basically asking the same question they are asking abroad. Consumers (in India) may be more price sensitive, but price sensitivity is something that happens in any economy,” he said. The answer for companies is “basically being able to cater to a smart market, which wants the latest and is wiling to pay a price (for it). That’s becoming evident.”

Infrastructure has long been cited as a key problem for foreign firms eyeing direct investments in India. Bhushan said that while Japanese companies are not the only ones that suffer because of the infrastructure problems, Japan “identified infrastructure as the problem and started investing in infrastructure.”

Since 2002 Japan has extended $21 billion in economic aid to India for infrastructure development, which resulted in the Delhi metro system and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, he noted. Japanese companies are investing in additional infrastructure based on these projects and that’s a positive factor for the country’s investment climate in the future, he said.

The journalists gave mixed assessments of how a new land acquisition law recently enacted by the central government would help improve the ability of land acquisition for foreign investors.

“One of the biggest problems Japanese companies face is land acquisition. Land is a state subject in the federal structure of India. The central government can make laws related to land, but land is actually acquired by the provincial governments,” Bhushan said. With the introduction of the new law, he said, the process of acquiring land from people for public purposes will become more transparent than under the previous law.

Bhattacharjee gave a more negative view of infrastructure development in India “because there are too many players — I mean the governments — which are interested in infrastructure.”

He said the new land law will not improve matters “for the simple reason that land is not a central government subject,” and that it “will actually ensure that the cost of buying land (for industrial purposes) will rise several times.”

By ensuring flat differentiated rates of compensation for urban and rural landowners, “you actually create a problem at city borders — that’s where the maximum acquisition takes place and that’s where the (compensation) ratio is going to be difficult,” he said.

“But the more genuine problem is that infrastructure development needs long-term financing,” Bhattacharjee said. Due to the problem of asset-liability mismatch for Indian banks financing infrastructure projects, companies rely on borrowing from abroad. But because of various restrictions on loans from overseas, “only richer companies can borrow, whereas the demand is obviously from the poorer companies — companies which are less able to leverage,” he said.

“The reason why the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project is successful is that it is partially financed by the government of Japan and so it is providing a backstop. But every project cannot be financed by government agencies,” he said. “The reason India is struggling in infrastructure is not just isolated issues. It’s a systemic problem of financing.”

Das said the new land law was necessary because under the previous law farmers and landowners were not well informed of what they can expect to get when their land was acquired for industrial purposes. “Land acquisition will be more costly now because of the higher rehabilitation and resettlement packages,” but there are opportunities for companies to directly buy land from the owners “who will be ready to sell” now that they’re more informed about the prices of the land, he said.

“Basic infrastructure in India is still not there. India needs infrastructure. We need foreign investments and private investments,” Das said.

And while the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, which connects the major industrial clusters on the west coast of India, is often cited as the ongoing major infrastructure project, there is also a huge potential in infrastructure development on the east coast as it’s relatively intact, he said.

The eastern part of India is highly populated, so a large chunk of land will be scarce but labor remains cheap — potential benefits for investments by small and medium-size firms, Das said.

Currently, about 40 percent of Japanese investments in India have been made in Chennai, with its links to two major ports and availability of large numbers of engineering graduates in the Tamil Nadu state on the southern tip of the country, said Bhushan. Many Japanese firms locate in the area because they want to integrate their production and distribution with their manufacturing bases in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia, he said.

The journalists also discussed the prospect of India’s politics after the general election next year, in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Congress Party-led coalition is challenged by the opposition BJP. Even though the election comes just as the economy faces serious difficulties after years of rapid growth, a possible change of government would not in itself mean political instability, but the pace of reforms could be affected by the makeup of a new coalition, they said.

A coalition government is “the practical situation” in India’s recent history where not a single national party like the Congress Party or BJP has gained a majority of its own and needed support from regional small parties, Das said. “I don’t expect either of them will get a majority (in the 2014 election). If either of them comes close to a majority, there will be a stable, decisive government who can make decisions without depending too much on its allies. If it does it, I fear there will be difficulties.”

Bhushan said the high growth over the past two decades took place while India was led by a coalition government at the national level. “When Atal Behari Vajpayee was prime minister from 1998 onward, there was a coalition of 23 political parties. When Manmohan Singh took over in 2004, he led a coalition of 15 to 17 parties. So coalition itself does not mean instability,” he said.

Bhushan said that there is a broad consensus in Indian politics on economic liberalization. “So my feeling is that it would not matter who comes to power in 2014. Economic liberalization and deregulation will continue,” he said. When parties need to compromise, the pace of reforms will be slow but the decisions will be more permanent because “every stakeholder is on board and it will be more sustainable,” he noted. “It does not matter whether it is a 14-party coalition or a 30-party coalition.”

Das said that while growth in India did happen under coalition governments, the smaller allies in the coalition tend to take populist positions on issues of economic reforms. Under the current Singh government, some coalition allies support FDIs while others oppose, and there are many powers “who are pulling the government from different sides,” he said.

When it comes to governmental decision making, prospective investors also need to understand the division of power between the central and state governments in India’s federal system, the journalists said.

The Indian constitution stipulates on which matters the jurisdiction goes to either the central or state government, “and if you get that clear, most of the confusion will go away about who controls what,” said Bhushan.

It depends a lot on which sector you’re talking about, Mitter said. “If you go into financial services or telecommunications, you have entirely to deal with the central government because on these subjects the states have almost no role. If on the other hand you want to set up a consumer-durables retail outlet, if you want to set up a low-end consumer-products shop, then you will have to deal with states,” he said.

“If you want to set up a factory only in one part of India, you have to deal with the state in which you wish to set it up. If you wish to establish facilities across several states across the country, then you will have to deal with all the state governments as well as with the central government,” he said.

Bhattacharjee also pointed to the difference in how the central and state governments are run. While both work on parliamentary democracy, states are a de facto presidential system and state governments can move far faster in implementing their decisions than at the national level, he said.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 16 Oct 2013 12:02

Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor Report Soon - Business Line

The feasibility of linking Kerala with the Chennai-Bangalore industrial corridor project was being examined by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan has said.

The study report is expected in the next two months, he said adding that it is possible to link Kochi with Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram with Tirunelveli as a garland of the Chennai-Bangalore corridor project.

The Minister was speaking during an interactive meeting organised by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry here {Kochi} on Tuesday.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 16 Oct 2013 16:40

I doubt the Coimbatore - Kochi and Tirunelveli-Trivandurm projects will take off since Land acquisition is abig no for Kerala intellectual and Ruling class along with the tolls that go with it.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 16 Oct 2013 18:45

Also, I doubt if the Japanese would be interested in industrial projects in Kerala.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 27 Oct 2013 19:19

Abe sparks constitutional debate with attendance at Ise Jingu ceremony

October 03, 2013

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stirred domestic controversy by visiting a Shinto shrine closely associated with the emperor, which some assert is at odds with the constitutional separation of religion and politics.

Abe attended a ceremony called Sengyo no Gi held Oct. 2 at Ise Jingu shrine in Mie Prefecture. He is the first prime minister in 84 years to do so.

The ceremony is considered the most important in the Shinto religion as the shrine is believed to be the home of the ancestral gods of Japan's imperial family.

Abe has so far avoided controversy by not visiting Yasukuni Shrine, which memorializes Japan's war dead along with 14 Class-A war criminals. Visits to the shrine in Tokyo by a prime minister or members of the Cabinet have led to strong criticism from China and South Korea, who view the shrine as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression.

In an attempt to ward off criticism over the Ise visit, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at an Oct. 2 news conference: "Abe will attend as a private individual. Because it is from a personal standpoint, the visit does not violate the principle separating politics from religion, which prohibits the central government from becoming involved in religious activity."

However, others were quick to criticize Abe's presence at the ceremony.

Muneo Bannai, 79, who heads a committee within the National Christian Council in Japan that studies issues related to Yasukuni Shrine, said: "It is an act that violates the principle of separation of religion and politics that is defined in the Constitution. We are taking this matter very seriously."

The Sengyo no Gi can be considered the highlight of the Shikinen Sengu, a centuries-old ritual held once every 20 years in which the two main shrine buildings are demolished and new ones are constructed on adjacent sites. The total cost for this year's ritual is about 57 billion yen ($585 million).

Although three Shikinen Sengu have been held since the end of World War II, no prime minister has attended until now. In the last ceremony held 20 years ago, the chief Cabinet secretary went instead.

It has become accepted custom, however, for the prime minister to visit Ise Jingu at the start of a new year.

"In the past, Ise Jingu was the fountainhead for unifying politics and religion and national polity fundamentalism," said Hisashi Yamanaka, 82, a children's literature author who has also written works related to Yasukuni Shrine. "Abe's act is clearly a return to the ways before World War II."

Yasuo Ohara, professor emeritus of religion at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo, said Abe’s visit was not unusual. Ohara pointed out that while Shigeru Yoshida and Kakuei Tanaka did not attend the Sengyo no Gi when they were prime minister, the two did visit Ise Jingu during the period for the Shikinen Sengu.

Ohara said, "If the prime minister visits the shrine out of consideration for the history, tradition and culture of Japan, there would be no constitutional violation because such a visit would not support, assist or promote a specific religion."

A 1977 Supreme Court ruling on the separation of religion and politics said only acts which had a religious significance as an objective and which supported a specific religion were considered unconstitutional.

Abe was accompanied by eight members of his Cabinet at the Sengyo no Gi. A main part of the ceremony is transferring the object of worship to its new main shrine at the Inner Shrine (Naiku).

Representing the imperial family at the ceremony was Prince Fumihito.

About 3,000 people took part in the ceremony, which officially began at 8 p.m. A mirror representing the object of worship was covered in white silk and removed from the old main shrine. Then, surrounded by a convoy of more than 100 priests and other participants, it was carried to the newly constructed shrine immediately west of the old one.

Amaterasu Omikami, the goddess of the sun considered to be the ancestral god of the imperial family, is enshrined within the Naiku, while Toyouke Omikami, the deity for food and agriculture, is enshrined within the Outer Shrine (Geku).

The last prime minister to attend the Sengyo no Gi was Osachi Hamaguchi in 1929.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/AJ201310030060

American imposed secularism & its footsoldiers trying to do their job of destroying Japan.

They still dream of McArthur's failed project of Christianizing Japan (failed despite considerable efforts BTW) which succeeded to a considerable extent in South Korea thanks to American gov't sponsorship & assistance.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 27 Oct 2013 19:27

Shinto rounds: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie, visit Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture on Wednesday to attend the Shikinen Sengu ceremony, during which enshrined objects are transferred to new Inner and Outer shrine buildings every 20 years.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9eRlf8AWK4

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 27 Oct 2013 19:41

In Europe East Germany and West Germany united already while in Japan the state still has to live under post WW2 pacts with winners and also nuke attack.

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 29 Oct 2013 00:42

What does Japan have to complain about? They have one of the most prosperous societies in the world and their country was completely rebuilt up due to no small part of America aid. They are a strong military power due to its navy and airforce. Sure Japan lost some territory so did Germany and the Allies. The only country not to lose territory is US and USSR is no more so technically Russia lost some territories. Britain is no longer a world power, only a power resting on the coattails of US. Same thing with France.

All in all, Japan is in very good shape.

panduranghari · Post by **panduranghari** » 29 Oct 2013 02:31

Hitesh wrote:What does Japan have to complain about? They have one of the most prosperous societies in the world and their country was completely rebuilt up due to no small part of America aid. They are a strong military power due to its navy and airforce. Sure Japan lost some territory so did Germany and the Allies. The only country not to lose territory is US and USSR is no more so technically Russia lost some territories. Britain is no longer a world power, only a power resting on the coattails of US. Same thing with France.

All in all, Japan is in very good shape.

The debt to the GDP ratio for Japan is over 200%. unsustainable long term. Why do you think Japan is investing so heavily in India?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 Oct 2013 08:02

Japanese Agency Offers to Help Chennai Port Operations Ravi Kumar, The Hindu

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has come forward to offer assistance to Chennai Port Trust for improving container movement.

The move would help the export-import trade plan better and save on time and cost. Further, the offer assumes significance, coming as it does in the backdrop of Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor project, in which JICA will have a major engagement.

Chief Representative at JICA India Office Shinya Ejima said, “We are willing to help the port” from the perspective of improving efficiency of the port operations. The prospects of JICA joining hands with the port for this purpose were discussed when he met a senior official of the port, Mr.Ejima told The Hindu during his visit to Chennai recently.

The immediate and short-term plan is to improve the flow of containers using information technology. Pointing out that the port administration was trying to reduce congestion, particularly the long queue of container trailers, he said Japan has experience in improving port operation. And this it was able to achieve by “using not very complicated, but simple technology.”

While highlighting the importance of good road infrastructure, Mr.Ejima referred to the stoppage of work on the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated four-lane link road project {This egoistic struggle between the Jayalalitha government and the Centre is costing the country a lot}. Japanese industrial units in the State, he added, were looking forward to the project. “I don’t know what is the real cause [but] if the plan exists and construction is started, [it’s] better to solve the issue,” he said, adding the elevated road would be important in terms of improving access to the port.

On the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor project, he said the master plan study had recently got under way and set to be completed by early 2015. It involves comprehensive perspective planning at corridor level and detailed planning at industrial-node level mainly in the sectors of transportation, power/energy, water and industrial park. The study will cover an area of 560 km across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It will cost around Rs.37 crore and help arrive at the total cost of the project. With regard to the progress made by the ongoing Chennai Metro Rail project, being funded by JICA, Mr.Ejima said, “The project implementation has not been delayed so much. Of course, not everything is perfect. They are working quite hard.” With regard to the State government not evincing interest in pursuing the next phase of Chennai Metro, he said the network expansion was very important. Bangkok, he added, got the Metro during the late 1990s but because of various reasons it was not expanded. “Now they are facing heavy traffic congestion in central Bangkok. Delhi Metro started a few years after Bangkok but the network was continuously expanded and it has reached nearly 200 km. After three years it will be reach 300 km… very impressive,” he said.

“We expect Chennai not to stop with this and expand and extend the Metro [to] phase II and III,” he added. {Again, like the Maduravoyal-Port elevated expressway, the Chennai Metro expansion is stuck with the egotist problems of the Jayalalitha government. She does not want to pursue any project started by the previous DMK regime even if they are good projects. This competitive politics of animosity ruins TN and drives away prospective investments}

Replying to a query on other projects in Tamil Nadu, he said JICA was considering extending assistance for establishing an outpatient tower and purchase of equipment to the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Egmore, Chennai. The proposal was in the final stage of decision-making, he said, adding JICA was in discussion with the Japanese government to make an official commitment and it was likely to be made by this fiscal.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 04 Nov 2013 18:47

Sea Shepherd supports Chinese claim to Senkaku islands

Sea Shepherd is an organization that claims to care about protecting wildlife. Their latest “conservation” scheme involves support of the Chinese government’s claim to the Senkaku islands:

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society wishes to support Chinese efforts to assert sovereignty over the islands known as the Diaoyu Islands by China and the Tiaoyu Islands by Taiwan.

The Japanese have referred to the islands as the Senkaku Islands since they were forcibly annexed by Japan from China in 1895. Sea Shepherd is concerned that Japanese control over the islands will lead to the slaughter of more dolphins and whales. “We do not want to see the waters around these islands run red with the blood of dolphins and whales,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Japan has demonstrated they do not have the ecological integrity nor the environmental responsibility to manage these island ecosystems.” Sea Shepherd would like to extend an offer to China to invite our organization to send one of our ships to the islands to investigate the local populations of dolphins and other marine wildlife species that would be threatened if Japan occupies the islands.

It’s an idiotic stance, even for an idiotic organization like Sea Shepherd. While some animal rights activists may think that Japan’s ongoing dolphin and whale hunts are cruel or inhumane, the hunts do not threaten any whale or dolphin species with extinction, nor do they significantly harm the environment. The People’s Republic of China, on the other hand, is engaged in wholesale destruction of nature within its territory.

If Sea Shepherd really wanted to protect wildlife, it would never support Chinese territorial expansion. But, as this latest scheme so clearly shows, Sea Shepherd and its leaders are consumed with petty hatred towards the nation of Japan.

http://www.japanprobe.com/2012/12/27/se ... u-islands/

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 05 Nov 2013 19:22

[youtube]sK0dPy8L4OU#t=84[/youtube]

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 13 Nov 2013 07:20

Tokyo trilateral to focus on civil nuclear issues - Sandeep Dikshit, The Hindu

As elections approach, New Delhi is trying to put the finishing touches to its partnership with the U.S. and Japan, especially in areas of civil nuclear energy, and projects that will enhance its access to Myanmar and Afghanistan.

South Block is sending at least half-a-dozen officials for the fifth India-U.S.-Japan trilateral in Tokyo to be held on Thursday and Friday. The composition of the team suggests the issues that will be discussed.

All three countries are fielding their disarmament and nuclear energy experts in an attempt to push forward the stalled civil nuclear energy agreement with the U.S. Japan is a vital third leg because one of its companies will supply a crucial component for the American nuclear reactors. This requires an India-Japan civil nuclear agreement and Tokyo’s nod on the terms of liability in case of an accident.

But the main course at the talks will be third country projects. Having spent five hours at the October’s India-U.S.-Japan trilateral in broadly outlining projects, officials, during the fifth round in Tokyo, will try to “move concepts to a stage where they will consider concrete projects that can be done by the three countries,” said official sources.

The meeting will pick up the issue of a route starting from India and going through upper Myanmar to eventually touch Vietnam. The project has also been discussed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the previous two summits with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Phnom Penh and Jakarta.

As all three countries have taken an interest in reconstruction of Afghanistan, proposals relating to high impact projects will also be considered.

Japanese assistance

Briefing newspersons after a meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his counterpart Salman Khurshid, Koichi Mizushima of the Japanese Foreign Ministry said the two leaders touched on most bilateral issues, including the Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor — the two multi-billion-dollar projects that are taking shape with Japanese assistance.

India plans to export 6,000 tonnes of rare earth chloride to Toyota Tsusho, marking its entry into the sector after a seven-year-gap during which China dominated the market.

The two sides also signed a Japanese Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) whose two main components are a $130-million loan to Tamil Nadu for quick implementation of infrastructure projects such as roads, power, water supply and sewerage, and $177.3 million for improving the education and research environment at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad. The Japan Foreign Minister also pledged $150 million for Uttarakhand, which was badly hit by landslips triggered by heavy rains in June.

“Our work is guided by the spirit of pilgrimage common to the people of both countries. While Uttarakhand is a place for pilgrimage for people from all over India, pilgrimage in Japan began over 1,200 years ago when holy men called Hijiri would seclude themselves to practise spiritual austerity in the mountains. This shared idea of pilgrimage is the foundation of Indo-Japanese cooperation in Uttarakhand,” said a Japanese Government news release.

There has been a flurry of contacts this year between India and Japan and this will cuminate with the visit of the Emperor in December.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 18 Nov 2013 05:59

Taskforce mulls Currency Swap with Japan to cut Dollar Outfow - Economic Times

India is exploring local currency trade with Japan and South Korea as it seeks to cut outflow of dollars, much needed to finance its large current account deficit.

A high-level task force, constituted by the commerce department, for promoting local currency trade has zeroed in on the traditional swap model to settle trade payments with countries with which India has a trade deficit.

For example, if India and Japan enter into such an arrangement, a fixed amount can be held in rupee terms in a Japanese bank and a similar amount in Japanese yen with an Indian bank to settle trade payments.

Trade deficit with Japan doubled to $6.3 billion in 2012-13 from $3.1 billion in 2009-10 while with South Korea it widened to $8.9 billion from $5.1 billion.

Japan has committed to invest $4.5 billion in the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project. India and Japan already have a $50-billion currency swap arrangement.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 23 Nov 2013 08:49

The Emperor’s New Goal by Brahma Chellaney

NOV 22, 2013

NEW DELHI – Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, in a rare overseas trip, are scheduled to begin a tour of the Indian cities of New Delhi and Chennai on November 30. The imperial couple’s weeklong visit is likely to mark a defining moment in Indo-Japanese relations, fostering closer economic and security ties between Asia’s two leading democracies as they seek a pluralistic, stable Asian order.
Traditionally, a visit from the Japanese emperor – except for a coronation or royal anniversary celebration – signified a turning point in a bilateral relationship. While the emperor is merely the “symbol of the state” under Japan’s US-imposed postwar constitution, he retains significant influence, owing to Japanese veneration of the imperial dynasty – the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, the origins of which can be traced to 660 BC. Indeed, the emperor’s overseas visits remain deeply political, setting the tone – if not the agenda – for Japan’s foreign policy.
Consider Akihito’s 1992 visit to China – the first such visit by any Japanese emperor. Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s government – grateful for Japan’s reluctance to maintain punitive sanctions over the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and eager for international recognition, not to mention Japanese capital and commercial technologies – had extended seven invitations over two years.
Akihito’s trip, which came at the height of Japan’s pro-China foreign policy, was followed by increased Japanese aid, investment, and technology transfer, thereby cementing Japan’s role in China’s economic rise. The improved diplomatic relationship lasted until the recent flare-up of territorial and other bilateral disputes.
Although no Japanese emperor has visited India before, the bilateral relationship runs deep. In traditional Japanese culture, India is Tenjiku (the country of heaven). Today, Japan is India’s largest source of aid and has secured a key role in supporting infrastructure development, financing projects like the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and the Bangalore Metro Rail Project.
With these natural allies seeking to add strategic bulk to their rapidly multiplying ties, Akihito’s tour is the most significant visit to India by any foreign leader in recent years. Indeed, it is expected to be one of the last foreign trips for the 79-year-old emperor, who has undergone several major surgeries in the past decade.
Akihito’s travel schedule contrasts sharply with that of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Despite having had open-heart surgery during his first term, India’s 81-year-old leader has sought to offset his low domestic political stock by flying more than one million kilometers on overseas trips – including visits to Japan, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, and the United States in the last six months alone.
The paradox of Akihito’s tour – for which Singh has appointed a special envoy with ministerial rank to oversee preparations – is that Japan is investing substantial political capital to build a strong, long-term partnership with India’s government at a time when India is gripped by policy paralysis. Japan’s leaders are perhaps counting on the continuity of India’s strategic policies, which would require the Indian government that emerges from next year’s general election to sustain the momentum of cooperation.
But, more important, Japan is adjusting to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing regional environment, characterized by rising geopolitical competition with China. In a historical reversal, Japan has found itself on the defensive against the increasingly muscular foreign policy of its former colony and old rival.
This situation is forcing the Japanese government to reconsider its postwar pacifism, revise its defense strategy, and increase its military spending. In this context, Japan knows that a deeper strategic collaboration with India – which is also seeking to blunt increasing military pressure from China – is its best move.
In modern history, Japan has had the distinction of consistently staying ahead of the rest of Asia. During the Meiji era, in the second half of the nineteenth century, it became the first Asian country to modernize. It was also the first Asian country to emerge as a world power, defeating Manchu-ruled China and Czarist Russia in separate wars. And after its defeat in World War II, Japan rose from the ashes to become Asia’s first global economic powerhouse.
With per capita GDP of more than $37,000, Japan still ranks among the world’s richest countries, specializing in the highest-value links of global supply chains. And income inequality in Japan ranks among the lowest in Asia.
Nonetheless, almost two decades of economic stagnation have eroded Japan’s regional clout. This raises the question of whether Japan’s current problems –sluggish growth, high public debt, and rapid population aging – presage a similar trend across East Asia. Similar problems are already appearing in South Korea, while China has been driven to loosen its one-child policy and unveil plans for economic reforms aimed at reviving growth.
For India, Japan is indispensable as both an economic and a security partner. It is central to India’s “Look East” policy, which has evolved into more of an “Act East” policy, whereby the original strategy’s economic logic has been amplified by the larger geopolitical objective of ensuring Asian stability and a regional balance of power. It is in this light that Akihito’s historic visit should be viewed.

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commen ... Md19ed3.99

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 27 Nov 2013 03:52

Back to the future: Shinto’s growing influence in politics
A small organization, little known to the public, has helped restore much of Japan’s controversial past — and it is only getting started
BY DAVID MCNEILL
SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES

Immaculate and ramrod straight in a crisp, black suit, Japan’s education minister, Hakubun Shimomura, speaks like a schoolteacher — slowly and deliberately. His brow creases with concern when he talks about Japan’s diminished place in the world, its years of anemic economic growth and poorly competing universities. Mostly, though, he appears to be worried about the moral and spiritual decline of the nation’s youth.

“The biggest problem with Japanese education is the tremendous self-deprecation of our high school children,” he says in an interview at his Tokyo office. He cites an international survey in which children are asked: “Are there times when you feel worthless?” Eighty-four percent of Japanese kids say yes — double the figure in the United States, South Korea and China, he laments. “Without changing that, Japan has no future.”

Shimomura’s remedy for this corrosive moral decay is far-reaching: Children will be taught moral and patriotic education and respect for Japan’s national symbols, its “unique” culture and history. Textbooks will remove “self-deprecating” views of history and references to “disputed” war crimes. They will reflect the government’s point of view on key national issues, such as Japan’s bitter territorial disputes with its three closest neighbors: China, Russia and South Korea.

Education reform represents only one layer of Shimomura and his government’s ambitions. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close political ally, wants to revise three of the country’s basic modern charters: the 1946 Constitution, the education law, which they both think undervalues patriotism, and the nation’s security treaty with the United States. The Emperor would be returned to a more prominent place in Japanese society. The special status of Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines most of Japan’s war dead, including the men who led the nation to disaster between 1933 and 1945, would be restored.

“They’re trying to restore what was removed by the U.S. Occupation reforms,” explains Mark Mullins, director of the Japan Studies Center at the University of Auckland. If it succeeds, the project amounts to the overturning of much of the existing order in Japan — a return to the past, with one eye on the future.

For an explanation of the core philosophy behind this project I visit an imposing black building that sits on the leafy borders of Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. The Association of Shinto Shrines, representing about 80,000 shrines, is classed as a religious administrative organization. It is also one of Japan’s most successful political lobbyists.

Many of the nation’s top elected officials, including Abe and Shimomura are members of the organization’s political wing, Shinto Seiji Renmei (officially, the Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership — eschewing the word “political” from the title). A sister organization, the Shinto Political Alliance Diet Members’ Association boasts 240 lawmakers, including 16 out of the government’s 19-member Cabinet. Abe is the association’s secretary-general.

Seiji Renmei sees its mission as renewing the national emphasis on “Japanese spiritual values.” In principle, this means pushing for constitutional revision and patriotic and moral education, and staunchly defending conservative values in ways that seem to contradict Abe’s internationalist capitalism. The association opposes the free trade of rice and the sale of “strategic property” such as forests or lakes to non-Japanese, for instance.

Since its birth in 1969, Shinto Seiji Renmei has notched several victories in its quest to restore much of the nation’s prewar political and social architecture. In 1979, it successfully lobbied the government to reinstate the practice of using imperial era names. In 2007, it won a national holiday, April 29, for Japan’s wartime monarch, Hirohito — a day when Japanese might “look in awe at the sacred virtues of the Showa Emperor.”

Over the past decade, Tokyo has tried to impose a directive demanding that teachers lead schoolchildren in singing the Kimigayo national anthem — another Shinto concern. In April this year, 168 Diet members visited Yasukuni for its spring festival — the largest number since these counts began 24 years ago. “A lot more politicians now understand the importance of our views,” concludes Yutaka Yuzawa, head of Shinto Seiji Renmei.

Though not a member of the association, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi helped end the taboo on any overt show of sympathy with the militarism of the past with his six pilgrimages to Yasukuni, climaxing in his visit on Aug. 15, 2006. Yuzawa’s father, Tadashi, was the head priest of Yasukuni at the time. For both, it was a vindication of years of struggle. “Our stance is that it is natural for the prime minister to pay his respects at the shrine on behalf of the country.” Lawmakers such as former Prime Minister Naoto Kan who refuse to go are “impertinent,” he adds.

Yuzawa accepts that these visits will worsen already dangerously frayed ties with Beijing and Seoul but insists it is “not something Japan can bend on.”

“It relates to our culture, history and tradition,” he says. “To us, Yasukuni Shrine is a god.” Criticism that prime-ministerial visits confer legitimacy on the Class-A war criminals enshrined there cannot be taken seriously, he says.

“Perhaps, according to today’s judgment, they might have made mistakes but back then they were doing their best for the country. In Japan, our way of thinking about the dead souls is that we don’t criticize them. They were protecting the Emperor and, by extension, the Japanese people.” That vital point, he says, is now understood by a growing number of Japanese politicians.

The American Occupation of 1945-51 ended Shinto’s status as a state religion and attempted to banish its influence from Japan’s public sphere, notably its emphasis on a pure racial identity linked to the Emperor. The core element of this belief, ruthlessly enforced through the education system, was the emperor’s divine status as a direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. Though weakened, Shinto conservatives in Japan “were simply biding their time” until they could restore the religion’s rightful place in Japanese society, says Mullins.

He sees 1995 — the year of the Kobe earthquake and Aum Shinrikyo deadly gas attacks on Japan’s subway — as a turning point. The two events, combined with the agonizing decline of the miracle economy, had a profound impact on the nation’s confidence. “The sense after that was: ‘We have so many troubles in Japan, we need to go back and get what we had,’ ” recalls Mullins. “There are certain people very sympathetic to that, to Shinto’s restoration vision.”

One of those people is Abe. In October, he became the first prime minister in 84 years to attend the most important ceremony in Shinto, the Sengyo no Gi at Ise Shrine — a centuries-old ritual in which the main shrine buildings are demolished and rebuilt. Ise is considered home to the emperor’s ancestors; Amaterasu is enshrined in the inner sanctum. The highlight of the ceremony is the removal of a mythological “sacred mirror” used to lure the sun goddess out of her cave. Abe took eight members of his Cabinet along to watch. Some scholars were agnostic on the visit, given that prime ministers routinely go to the shrine to show respect for Japanese traditions and culture. Others, however, were alarmed.

“In the past, Ise Jingu (shrine) was the fountainhead for unifying politics and religion and national polity fundamentalism,” author Hisashi Yamanaka recently told the Asahi newspaper. “Abe’s act is clearly a return to the ways before World War II.”

It is far from clear how much of the past, exactly, Abe and his Cabinet want to revive, or how much sway Shinto holds over them. Shimomura swats away concerns about the government’s agenda. “Sections of the media have an allergy to moral education,” he says. “They are sending out the wrong image that we are trying to reinstate the prewar education system.” However, parts of Shinto clearly sit uneasily with the modern, globalized economy the government says it is trying to build.

Yuzawa says Japan should prohibit sales of land and property to China, Japan’s largest trading partner. Another possible point of conflict is the free trade of agricultural products, a key demand of U.S. negotiators in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks. Traditional ties between rice cultivation and Shinto rituals make this a no-no for Shinto fundamentalists, historian Matthew Penney notes in a recent article on the Asia-Pacific Journal.

Mullins says this magnetic tug of the past is not unique to Japan. “I see Shinto fundamentalists as very similar to U.S. Christian fundamentalists and Hindu neo-nationalists,” he says. “It’s people trying to cope with the modern world: to make it all black and white and nail it down.”

But he says an “ecumenical group” of like-minded conservatives is in the ascendancy in Japan, led by Shinto and Nippon Kaigi, a nationalist think tank that advocates a return to “traditional values” and rejects Japan’s “apology diplomacy” for its wartime misdeeds. “Abe’s comeback has given them this sense of confidence,” Mullins says.

Whatever happens to his government’s larger agenda — much depends on Abe’s economic performance — Shinto conservatives will likely continue their quiet mission to transform Japan. John Breen, a religion specialist at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, cites the restoration of imperial markers on the annual calendar: State Foundation Day; Culture Day, which marks the birthday of the Meiji Emperor; the current Emperor’s birthday in December; and Labor thanksgiving, which marks “the Emperor’s annual performance of the Niiname rite, a celebration of Amaterasu’s gift of rice to Japan.”

“The deep imperial meanings of these holidays are concealed behind innocuous names like Culture day and Labor thanksgiving,” Breen says. But the Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership is determined to restore their original titles, “and so make apparent to all their true meaning.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/1 ... pUk0MTrxX_

Usual suspects scared that the Japanese might grow a spine again and stand up for themselves.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 28 Nov 2013 21:05

Then & Now: Emperor and Empress of #Japan to return to #India 53 years after their visit as Crown Prince & Princess pic.twitter.com/Yg7KpXCuKR

https://twitter.com/IndianDiplomacy/sta ... 39/photo/1

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 30 Nov 2013 18:31

Japan push for Indian manufacturing sector
RC Bhargava | Updated: Nov 29 2013, 14:44 IST

The National Manufacturing Policy, approved by the government in 2011, has set ambitious goals for the growth of manufacturing in India. The attainment of the target of increasing the share of manufacturing in the GDP to 25% by 2022 is, however, essential if the country is to provide productive employment to its large young population, reap the demographic dividend, create conditions for agricultural productivity to increase, generate resources for implementing a larger social service programme and make a serious dent on poverty.
Japan is a country that has excelled in manufacturing. Its shop floor practices have become the model for the rest of the world. The quality and productivity standards set by Japanese industry have become global benchmarks. The cooperation between labour and management in enhancing the growth and competitiveness of industry is something most people find hard to believe. Clearly, in the task of growing manufacturing in India, and making Indian products globally competitiveness, there is much to learn from Japan.
Japanese industry has, for many years, been facing challenges arising from the strengthening yen, shortages of manpower and rising costs. The declining population, resulting in the proportion of young people steadily falling, has made it difficult for domestic demand to grow. At the same time the currency strengthening, and higher costs of production, have eroded export competitiveness. Japanese companies have rightly looked for overseas manufacturing bases. China became the preferred destination because of its large market, comparative ease of doing business and a culture not too distinct from that of Japan. Thailand was the second most popular destination for Japanese investments.
India and Japan have had a long history of friendship and close political ties. After 1991, India opened a large part of its manufacturing sector to foreign investments, and has been inviting Japanese companies to this country. Many business delegations from both countries have visited each other. Japanese companies have been expressing great interest in investing in India, while also pointing out some problems. The Japanese government has extended considerable support to many infrastructure projects and the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor is perhaps the largest. However, while there has been some private investment in the manufacturing sector, the amount is quite small considering the size of India. Thailand has more Japanese manufacturing companies than India. China is in a different league. However, of late, China seems to have lost its attractiveness to Japanese industry as an investment destination.
The successful implementation of the National Manufacturing Policy requires massive investments in infrastructure as well as the manufacturing sector. There is need for new technology and better manufacturing systems to come in so that Indian industry can become globally competitive. What needs to be done to make this happen?
We need to be clear that private foreign direct investment has a choice of where it will go. The decisions in this matter are dictated by the ease of establishing a business in a country, and the likely profitability. Certainly, the size of the market is important in taking a decision, but in the final analysis the investor looks at the probability of making profit and the risks involved. Unfortunately, India has not scored high in this respect. The perception is that establishing a business in India takes a long time, there is no certainty of the time that will be involved and that the complex tax, labour and other laws make doing business very difficult.
In the early 1980s, besides Suzuki, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda invested in the automobile sector in India. Suzuki formed a joint venture with the government to make cars, and became hugely successful. The other four companies formed joined ventures with private companies (Nissan with a state PSU) to make light commercial vehicles and none of the four were really successful. The fact that Toyota, an iconic Japanese company, had to withdraw from India constituted a major setback to Japanese investment coming here.
While conditions have improved considerably since the 1980s, a great deal more needs to be done to create an environment where manufacturing industry can become globally competitive. For this to happen, the primary requirement is that wide public acceptance has to be created of the absolute necessity of government helping to create a globally competitive Indian industry, so that adequate employment opportunities are created and poverty eliminated. Without this happening, politicians will be reluctant to take the required actions, as the perception is that if they are seen as helping industrialists in any way, it would be detrimental to their political future. Leaders have to educate the public.
Japanese industry is very interested in investing in India, especially with China losing its attractiveness. Governmental actions to make it easier to do business would certainly help. However, for large inflow of Japanese investments and technology, other obstacles have also to be overcome. Most small and medium Japanese companies have little knowledge of India and how to do business here. They are, naturally, somewhat afraid of investing in this country. It is essential that there are institutional mechanisms to help them in areas like land acquisition, getting statutory approvals, hiring labour and managers, establishing a supply chain, dealing with tax matters and so on. If these SMEs are coming as vendors to a large company, that company can play this role. Otherwise, consultancy companies have to develop expertise to provide the necessary assistance.
The large Japanese companies, while capable of hiring good Indian managers to do most of these activities, still need to understand the Indian political and social environment, and how it impacts on the way they do business. Japanese practices that have been successful in Japan or other countries cannot automatically be transplanted to India and be successful. Indian managers have to understand these practices and in the context of Indian conditions advise what modifications are necessary. For this to be done in a credible manner, the Indian manager needs to have exposure to Japanese management and ways of doing business. The Japanese managements would also have to develop trust and confidence in Indians. How to develop this mutual trust and confidence is perhaps the biggest challenge for Japanese companies to succeed in India.
From my experience with Suzuki I believe that the Japanese would trust a manger provided they believe that he is fully committed to the success of the company and has no other agenda. The Indian manager has to demonstrate this commitment by his actions.
A critical area for success is developing a productive and mutually beneficial relationship with the work force, like in Japan. Workers and management work as partners in Japan, sharing the fruits of their efforts. Most Indian managers are unaware of how such a relationship was developed. It is important that Japanese companies expose Indian managers to this learning, and then to apply them, after modifications, to Indian conditions.
There is a huge opportunity for Japanese involvement in developing India as a globally competitive manufacturing country. All parties, including the central and state governments and Indian industry, need to work to create the conditions required to make this happen.
The author is chairman of Maruti Suzuki India

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/ja ... /1200820/0

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 30 Nov 2013 18:44

Man Mohan Singh Receives Japan's Royal Couple at Delhi Airport - Business Line

Emperor of Japan Akihito accompanied by Empress Michiko arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for a six-day visit described by the Government as “one of the biggest moments in India’s diplomatic engagement this year’’.

This was reflected in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife receiving the Japanese Royal couple at the airport. This was a rare gesture Dr. Singh had reserved for US President Barack Obama in 2010 and his predecessor George Bush in 2006.

It is the first time that the Emperor and Empress of Japan are coming to India and it is also a first that India has hosted the same two dignitaries on a state visit after a lapse of 50 years. “It has never happened before in the history of independent India,’’ pointed out Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

Apart from New Delhi, the Emperor will visit Chennai from where he will leave for Tokyo. In Chennai among other engagements, he will meet representatives of Japanese expatriates. The Foreign Office said the selection of Chennai as the second leg of the Emperor’s visit was done by the Japanese while analysts said it reflected the emergence of the metropolis as a centre of concentration for the Japanese industry.

The Minister accompanying the Emperor is Salman Khurshid who had seen the Emperor as a seven-year-old Akihito, then a Prince, on a visit to Bodh Gaya, had called on his grandfather and then Bihar Governor Zakir Hussain.

On Sunday the Emperor’s only engagement is a walk in Lodhi Garden and Monday will be the main day of engagement beginning with a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan followed by a visit to Raj Ghat. The main event of the day will be the meeting with the President, the customary banquet followed by the farewell tete-a-tete. After spending another day in the capital, the Japanese royal couple will leave for Chennai and depart for Japan from there on the night of December 5.

“This visit is very high in symbolism. And the practice in Japan is for the Emperor to be studiously away from political issues and contemporary issues, and we would respect the Japanese sentiments on this,’’ said Shambhu Kumaran, MEA’s Director (East Asia).

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 01 Dec 2013 15:57

India-Japan Officials to Meet on Amphibious Aircraft Sale by Japan - New Indian Express

India's ambitious mission to have an amphibious aircraft in its navy is likely to move a step forward when an Indo-Japan Joint Working Group (JWG) meets later this month to decide on the modalities of its induction.

The options to be discussed include outright purchase of the aircraft or joint manufacturing or a combination of both.

The JWG meeting, expected on December 23, will be the second since September 12 and is likely to be followed by another high-level meeting between the two countries shortly afterwards, official sources said.

Japan is pushing for off-the-counter sale of US-2 aircraft produced by ShinMaywa Industries Ltd, which has a range of about 4,500 km and is suitable for search-and-rescue operations. The US-2 is also capable of carrying sensitive communications equipment.

This aircraft usually has the capability of landing on choppy waters with waves of up to three metres, apart from having long-range civilian and military applications.

"While Japan wants to sell these aircraft, India wants to manufacture it jointly. The JWG is likely to meet on December 23 to decide on these issues," the sources told PTI.

The JWG, headed by Industry Secretary Saurabh Chandra on the Indian side, was formed during the Japan visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after he and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe signed an agreement on May 29.

The JWG had later set up a sub-group, with officials from the Ministries of External Affairs, Defence, Civil Aviation and Industry, to study the matter and prepare a report.

"The sub groups are meeting and discussing the matter.

Nothing has been finalised yet. The issue needs more discussion," the sources said.

The sale of the aircraft, if it happens, would be the first of a finished product made by Japan's homegrown defence industry since restrictions were imposed on it on export of weapons systems and other such equipment.

The last amphibious aircraft operated by the Indian Navy were the light transport Sealand aircraft, which were inducted in the 1950s and phased out a decade later. Since then, the Indian Navy has never operated any amphibious aircraft.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 01 Dec 2013 22:09

It would be in the fitness of the times that in future Indian PMs and envoys pay their respects at the Yasukuni shrine,just as the Japanese emperor and his entourage pay their respects at Rajghat. The shine which commemorates Japan's war dead is not visited by allied powers hypocritically,ignoring their won war crimes in WW2.Indians fought both against and with the Japanese in W2,with the heroic acts of Netaji and the INA in attempting to free India from the yoke of the British Raj using the armed struggle. We must remember with respect the sacrifice of our Japanese compatriots in our freedom struggle as they supported Netaji in attempting to liberate India.

The Indian Justice Radha Binod Pal found that due to the significant procedural flaws of the proceedings, that the court was an invalid form of victor's justice and revenge. As these problems with the tribunals left much to be argued about convicting the accused, and that the living convicted criminals were all released from prison by 1958 gave many Japanese people a reason to believe that they were not war criminals. The opinion of victor's justice was based on that there were none of the victors facing tribunals for mass civilian killings in firebombings of major cities,[2] the mass deaths of non-repatriated Japanese soldiers, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Furthermore Justice Pal's position was that as none of the defeated countries would sit in judgment of their own people, as it could never be considered fair. Five of the 11 judges released dissenting opinions. No justice on the court disagreed as to the scale and horrifying nature of the atrocities of the war.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 02 Dec 2013 04:34

Ties with India different from that with China: Japan - ToI

Japan on Sunday said its ties with India were warm and friendly and unencumbered by any "pending issues to resolve", unlike with China, and New Delhi has now replaced Beijing as the largest recipient of Tokyo's Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Sakutaro Tanino, press secretary to visiting Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, made clear that Japan's relations with China and with India were "totally different" and should not be viewed together.

Tanino said India-Japan ties are marked by "mutual warm sentiments for each other" and there are "no big pending issues to resolve, unlike with China ... and with no territorial disputes or problems".

Japan and China are locked in a territorial dispute over a group of islands in the East China Sea.

Japan had increased its ODA to China following the 1992 visit by the Emperor and Empress to Beijing. Aid has, however, declined following their conflict over the islands, which are believed to be rich in hydrocarbons and other minerals.

Tanino also said that the visit of the imperial couple to India had been thought of four years ago, but the decision was "postponed". "Some idea (for the visit) was entertained four years ago, but was postponed," he said.

"India is now the biggest recipient of Japanese ODA... Earlier, China was No.1, now India is No.1," said the official, adding that Delhi Metro rail was a symbol of the development aid.

The assistance in the form of grants-in-aid and soft loans was for development projects in India, including the Mumbai-Delhi Freight Corridor and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The ODA would also benefit Japanese businesses, he added.

"The relationship with China is strained and difficult due to territorial problem," he said, adding that Japan had its "doors open" for dialogue to resolve the issue.

"The relationship with China and with India are two totally different issues... should not be seen to be linked," said Tanino.

The imperial visit "should not be interpreted as a measure to counter our relationship with China", he clarified.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 Dec 2013 14:25

Nuclear Deal with Japan on the Anvil - sandeep Dikshit, The Hindu

Japan has said the main purpose of Emperor Akihito’s ongoing visit to India was to add more ballast to the bilateral relationship.

One of the elements that would add greater depth to the ties would be a civil nuclear agreement. “We are close to a bilateral deal on the peaceful use of nuclear energy,’’ said senior Japanese diplomats accompanying the Emperor, who is on a six-day visit to India.

India and Japan share the goal of total elimination of nuclear weapons and Parliaments of both countries pay tributes to the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But a section of Japanese opinion, including senior Ministers, wants India to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India has been averse to this idea and wants to sign a civil nuclear deal with Japan on the basis of its existing strong anti-proliferation credentials.

“We are touched by the gesture of your Parliament paying tribute every year to Japanese victims of the nuclear bomb. Japanese people have strong feelings about nuclear weapons, but this aspect is not known to our people,’’ conceded an official.

Relations with Beijing, facing difficult times recently, remained very important and the Emperor’s visit should not be interpreted as an attempt to check China, said the diplomats. They quoted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as cautioning against ties with China being arrested due to a single territorial issue.

On the first full day of official engagements, the Emperor laid flowers at Rajghat followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Scheduled for 45 minutes, the meeting went beyond the scheduled time.

Dr. Singh preferred to focus on the economic aspects of the relationship, beginning with the Suzuki days that eventually helped the Indian automobile industry become globally competitive. The partnership is now manifest in Delhi Metro and will grow further due to Japanese involvement in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the Delhi Mumbai Freight Corridor.

In the afternoon, the Emperor visited Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for East Asian Studies.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 03 Dec 2013 19:17

Philip wrote:It would be in the fitness of the times that in future Indian PMs and envoys pay their respects at the Yasukuni shrine,just as the Japanese emperor and his entourage pay their respects at Rajghat. The shine which commemorates Japan's war dead is not visited by allied powers hypocritically,ignoring their won war crimes in WW2.Indians fought both against and with the Japanese in W2,with the heroic acts of Netaji and the INA in attempting to free India from the yoke of the British Raj using the armed struggle. We must remember with respect the sacrifice of our Japanese compatriots in our freedom struggle as they supported Netaji in attempting to liberate India.

(Left)1960: Crown Prince & Princess of #Japan pay respects at Rajghat (Right) 2013: As Emperor & Empress, in #Rajghat

https://twitter.com/IndianDiplomacy/sta ... 8901554176

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 04 Dec 2013 07:19

Transforming Bilateral Ties - Editorial in The Hindu

Through the last decade, India and Japan have made determined efforts to transform their bilateral ties. The week-long two-city state visit to India by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko is evidence that those efforts have been successful. The Japanese emperor strictly stays away from politics, but his visits abroad are high in symbolism, usually signifying an important juncture in Japan’s relations with that country. After hitting a low in 1998 when Japanese sanctions against India for the Pokharan nuclear tests left relations crippled for more than two years, bilateral ties have grown rapidly within a short time to embrace a strategic partnership and defence links. Constant high-level interaction — the annual India-Japan summit, the regular exchanges between the two defence ministers, a “two plus two” dialogue involving the foreign and defence secretaries, a dialogue on maritime security, and a trilateral dialogue that includes the United States — has kept up the momentum. {And, bilateral exercises involving the navies and coast guards of the two nations; the agreement on rare earths after China abruptly stopped supplying them} The two countries are also part of the G4 nations that recently intensified efforts towards text-based negotiations on the expansion of the U.N. Security Council. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement has boosted trade ties, though the movement of professionals it was meant to facilitate is yet to take off. Japan has been generous with financial assistance for infrastructure projects such as the Delhi Metro and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Emperor Akihito’s visit to Chennai testifies to the significant Japanese investment in Indian industry, especially automobiles, a dominant sector in Tamil Nadu.

What has remained elusive though is a civilian nuclear agreement. At their last summit in May 2013, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe directed their officials to “accelerate” negotiations towards this. But it will not be easy. Tokyo is interested, and so are Japanese vendors looking for markets abroad after Japan’s decision to cut down dependence on nuclear energy post-Fukushima. The two sides will take it up when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits New Delhi next month, but the domestic opposition to any such deal is bound to weigh on his mind. The healthy state of India-Japan relations is best seen in its own terms rather than as a result of a shared wariness of China. New Delhi and Beijing are engaged in improving relations at various levels, while China-Japan relations are a separate category. For all the sparring, their bilateral trade exceeds $300 billion, and contacts between the two countries exist at many levels. It would be absurd to construe Emperor Akihito’s India visit, planned many months ago, as a move to counter China against the backdrop of new tensions in the East China Sea.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 06 Dec 2013 03:02

A special relationship: Why the Japanese imperial visit was significant

The six-day visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan to India, which began on Saturday, was widely considered to be one of the most significant such visits - in spite of the fact that Emperor Akihito does not exert formal power in the Japanese system. However, the imperial couple do not travel on such state visits often, and such trips have in the past - such as to China in 1992 - been used by Tokyo to reveal to the world a major alteration in its foreign-policy alignment. In other words, the visit was a reminder that the bilateral relationship between India and Japan is viewed in Tokyo as an essential step in expanding, renewing and rebuilding the security and economic architecture in the Indo-Pacific. Reportedly, an invitation from New Delhi had been with the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for almost a decade; the cabinet of the India-friendly nationalist prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is supposed to have advised the Palace that it was time to accept the invitation.

The Japanese Emperor is a very infrequent traveler, especially in the last few years. His destinations in the last decade were, from the Imperial Household website:
2005 Norway, US
2006 Singapore, Thailand
2007 Baltic states, UK
2009 Canada, US
2012 UK (diamond jubilee, non state visit)
2013 India
It's quite a big deal for them that they convinced their Emperor to travel after so long.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 06 Dec 2013 09:03

Chennai Could be Japan's Gateway to Asean - The Hindu
Looks too far fetched at this point of time.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan were touched by the warmth and hospitality accorded to them during their two-day visit to Chennai. “Their majesties are very grateful for the warm reception” and the visit would help enhance and develop ties between India and Japan, the Emperor’s Press Secretary and former Ambassador to India Sakutaro Tanino said here on Thursday.

He was briefing presspersons ahead of the departure to Japan of the royal couple, who arrived in New Delhi on November 30. Chennai was the only other city they visited. On Thursday, Mr. Tanino said they went to Guindy National Park (where they interacted with children) and attended a luncheon hosted in their honour by Governor, K. Rosaiah, at Raj Bhavan, in which Chief Minister Jayalalithaa participated. Earlier, the Governor had presented the royal couple with an album of the commemorative stamp released coinciding with their visit to India.

At the lunch, Ms. Jayalalithaa and the Empress discussed dance, music, musical instruments and Indian culture and cuisines. The Chief Minister spoke about agriculture, social welfare and the efforts made to upgrade the social status of women. Akkarai Sisters, S. Subhalakshmi and S. Swarnalatha performed on the occasion.

The royal couple also visited the Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu. In the evening, they met representatives of Japanese residents in the four southern States. Mr. Tanino said it was apparent from the discussion that Chennai was set to become a popular destination for Japanese investment for a number of reasons, particularly high quality of labour and peace and order. However, it was pointed out that infrastructure needed to be improved, particularly power and water supply.

Chennai, he added, could be the gateway for Japan to cater to the Asean market. There was also considerable scope of improvement in the flow of tourists and students between India and Japan.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 07 Dec 2013 02:57

V.C. Lingam
BY VIVIENNE KENRICK
JUN 2, 2007

The attraction of higher education in Japan first brought V.C. Lingam here from Singapore. “I read a few books, and I thought why not?” he said. That was a very long time ago. He is 93 now, and a permanent resident of Japan.

When he first arrived he studied the language for a year. He enrolled in university, but did not complete his undergraduate studies. Instead, he gave himself fulltime to a cause he judged greater than himself: Indian independence.

Geography and circumstances played big parts in Lingam’s life. He was born into a large, wealthy Indian family in what was then Malaya, where his father owned rubber plantations.

The eldest son among many children, he went to school in Singapore. Many of his classmates went to universities in the U.K., but Lingam wanted something different. He chose Japan.

“My father visited me here, and then wanted to go to Europe,” Lingam said. The two eventually made their way by rail to London. Already a member of the Indian Independence League, on his return to Japan, Lingam met Ras Behari Bose.

The next 10 years were exciting, active and meaningful for Lingam, a reasoning, principled and politicized young man. Bose, wanted by the authorities in India for his revolutionary leadership there, escaped to Japan in 1915.

Lingam joined the Bose office and worked for the Indian Independence League. On its behalf, he traveled to Vietnam, Bangkok and Singapore, “enlisting local people for the organization for independence from British colonial rule,” he said. “The league became bigger, and Bose became leader of the movement throughout East Asia.”

In Tokyo, Bose used to frequent Nakamura-ya, and took over operating the restaurant that offered curry rice on its menu. He taught the chef how to improve the dish and in time married the Nakamura daughter. “We used to hold our meetings in that restaurant,” Lingam said.

After the outbreak of WWII, another Indian entered the story. Subhas Chandra Bose bore the same surname but the two men were not related. Subhas, a fiercer person than R.B. Bose, was twice elected president of the Indian National Congress in Delhi.

Distancing himself from the passivity advocated by Mahatma Gandhi led to his resignation from Congress in 1939. He achieved reputation as a militant patriot who would initiate violence to liberate India. He intensified his anti-British campaign, and was placed under house arrest in Calcutta. Somehow, he managed to disappear.

“He reappeared in Germany,” Lingam said. “Then he traveled by submarine all the way from Europe to Singapore. He regarded Japan, Germany and Italy as allies against the U.K., and Japan welcomed him.

“My Bose saw Subhas as young and bouncy, and resigned his presidency of the Indian Independence League in favor of his taking over. In Japan, Subhas emphasized building the Indian National Army.”

Lingam’s pacific and intellectual nature did not accept the new leadership and its potential methods and he pulled back from the league. Multilingual, he found employment with NHK. In 1945 he worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in Tokyo.

Thereafter, Lingam followed a pattern of business enterprise in partnership with others and on his own until retirement at age 70.

He lives quietly, cherishing longtime friendships. His only son, who used to be a St. Mary’s schoolboy, follows his own business career in the U.S.

Both the Bose leaders died in 1945. The younger one, who had only two years in Japan but is the better known, was said to have been killed in an airplane crash.

Some of his followers dispute that report and believe his ashes rest in Tokyo’s Honganji temple. R.B Bose, who lived for 30 years in Japan, is less well known.

For the sake of posterity, it remains for Lingam to write his comprehensive life story.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2007/0 ... qJHZPRDv7N

Video about Rash Behari's time in Japan (unfortunately not subtitled), VC Lingam speaks at 3:08 & they show Bose's Nakamuraya restaurant as it exists today in Shinjuku, Tokyo:

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 10 Dec 2013 08:25

One more reason for Japan to Partner With India
Japan May Soon Start Losing Wealth.

Japan may still be the world’s largest creditor nation, but it is likely to starting losing some of its wealth within the next couple of years, as its broadest trade measure lurches closer to its first annual deficit in more than 30 years.Japan has posted a current account surplus every year since 1981, on the back of its strong exports and overseas investment income.While the monthly figures so far this year suggest the current account will stay in the black in 2013, economists see a trend of regular deficits becoming clearer over the next couple of years.Analysts point to the declining competitiveness of Japanese manufacturing sectors, such as electronics. More innovation is taking place overseas, such as the iPhone and smartphone technology in general, prompting Japanese consumers to spend more on imported items than on domestic products.

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 14 Dec 2013 05:17

From Reuters: Solving the Indo-Japanese equation

In geopolitics, neighbours rarely make great alliances. However, distance does not impede strong partnerships.

In the case of Japan and India, historical bonds nurtured by Buddhism and the Japanese providing the wherewithal to freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose for the Indian National Army, provides for the necessary people-to-people connect.

The Japanese emperor’s recent visit to India is not just historic. In the context of the congruence of threat perception of the two countries, it was the expected announcement to the Asia-Pacific region of a partnership to counter an increasingly belligerent China.

The common threats that both nations face include oil from west Asia traversing sea lanes that the Chinese could interfere with, and territorial disputes. Indians face an increasing Chinese cartographic invasion that encompasses almost the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeated incursions across Indian perceptions of the line of actual control exacerbate the threat. The Japanese, on the other hand, are faced with Chinese claims on the Senkaku islands.

The Indo-Japanese relationship rests on strong pillars that include accepting each other as strategic partners, as well as a security and comprehensive economic partnership agreement. India’s post-independence dilemma, with Japan being U.S.-centric and India more socialistic, have been relegated to the dungeon. Indo-Japanese trade is also expected to increase to $25 billion in 2014.

Negotiations are on for a civil nuclear deal, while procurement of Japanese equipment for modernizing India’s military inventory is in progress.

However, keeping in view the increasing adoption of the coercive approach along the Indo-Tibet border and the recent Chinese declaration of an air defence identification zone, the Indo-Japanese relationship needs to focus on substantial military teeth. Notwithstanding the defence pact between Japan and the United States, Indo-Japanese forces have to serve as an adequate deterrent.

A beginning was made in 2012 with joint maritime exercises. The greater dimensions of joint operations, including planning and execution of large-scale manoeuvres in scenarios likely to be obtained against the Chinese, co-opting air power and employment of land forces in such exercises, need to be addressed. Joint cyber capabilities, provision of logistics support, and more mundane issues like creating large pools of linguists also need to be addressed.

The Chinese have been on a high growth curve for years. Their investments in force modernization, strategic forces and outreach capabilities have seen a steep growth.

Purely on economic parameters, existing disparity between India and China is bound to grow. The military’s modernization has not dominated public debates in India, having been overshadowed by other issues. A rapid acceleration may not be possible for the foreseeable future.

As far as the Japanese are concerned, imports of raw material will have to ensured at all costs. Notwithstanding the Asian pivot of the United States, the Asia-Pacific region’s stability will need to be shouldered by India and Japan.

The two Asian nations have to jointly develop capabilities and be a credible deterrence to Chinese belligerency. A host of South and East China Sea nations, which are facing similar Chinese threats and coercion, will gravitate to such an axis in times of crisis.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Dec 2013 07:53

India is the base for Hitachi's global expansion - Business Line

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Dec 2013 18:34

Hitachi Angling to Land Deals for Shinkansen Systems - Japan Times

Hitachi Ltd. has set up an in-house company for marketing and procurement in a bid to win supply contracts related to shinkansen systems in India, Hitachi Executive Vice President Junzo Nakajima said in an interview.

With a staff of some 10 employees, the in-house company, launched last month, will conduct for the time being marketing activities to clinch deals to supply train-related technologies, and signal and train operation management systems for a high-speed railway link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and a freight line between New Delhi and Mumbai, Nakajima said.

Hitachi is expanding investment in India. As part of the move, it has started building a plant to produce parts for automobile engines in Chennai.

In its business strategy for the South Asian country, announced last year, Hitachi plans to invest a total of about ¥70 billion from fiscal 2012 to 2015.

The company has already spent or decided to spend about half of that amount. It aims to continue actively promoting business acquisitions in India in order to step up its operations in the country.

In the interview, held in New Delhi, Nakajima said: “Hitachi is steadily increasing investment in India. Using the active investment as a catalyst, we want to achieve our target of raising sales in India to ¥300 billion in fiscal 2015.”

Last December, Hitachi held its first board meeting abroad in New Delhi. On Monday, it started a comprehensive exhibition to display the group’s social infrastructure technologies and products in the city for a two-day run, the first such event ever held in India.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Dec 2013 19:28

Hitachi toshiba Panasonic nd Mitsubishi are the japani crown jewels. We need them here bigtime

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Dec 2013 06:42

things will fall in place moment they decide to become less insular and mistrustful of others capabilities.
the koreans too had to overcome this mental block to be finally successful here.....else the usual east asian strategy was to send a horde of managers and overseers here to control and micromanage each aspect of the operation.
I had gone for a interview in 1998 to a now defunct co named Daewoo telecom in gurgaon .... and there too a bunch of young koreans were posted and acting like the overlords. a couple of them sat in on my interview while the indian manager was asking me questions.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 18 Dec 2013 06:54

I remember those Daewoo Matiz cars. quite popular for a while. I think the cars biz was sold off Tata or some other Indian company about 10 years ago.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 18 Dec 2013 07:06

devesh wrote:I remember those Daewoo Matiz cars. quite popular for a while. I think the cars biz was sold off Tata or some other Indian company about 10 years ago.

Tata bought the commercial vehicles division. The car biz went to GM.

Vadivel · Post by **Vadivel** » 18 Dec 2013 08:27

Marten wrote:The advisors (folks who've been in Japan and India for a long while) are milking the cos dry.

Please advise on how to become adviser and milk them.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Dec 2013 12:52

India & Japan Treble Currency Swap Limit - The Hindu

India and Japan, on Wednesday, tripled the limit for the currency swap arrangement to $50 billion.

“The Government of India today approved the enhancement of the bilateral currency swap arrangement between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank of Japan from $15 billion to $50 billion,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

This measure will further strengthen the bilateral financial cooperation between Japan and India, it added.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 22 Dec 2013 18:43

Japan MSDF & IN Hold Joint Exercise - Japan Times

A joint exercise by the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian navy took place Saturday in the Indian Ocean off Chennai, India.

It is the second exercise of its kind since June last year and the first to be staged in India. The exercise is focused primarily on securing sea lanes and improving coordination in anti-piracy operations.

Given that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is slated to make an official visit to India in January, the exercise is seen as aimed at checking China’s increasing assertiveness in regional waters.

The exercise is planned to last two days. Two MSDF guided missile destroyers, the Ariake and Setogiri, as well as the Indian navy’s stealth frigate Satpura, guided missile destroyer Ranvijay and missile corvette Kuthar are taking part.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Dec 2013 10:37

Japanese Royals' Visit Puts Focus Back on Chennai - R.K.Radhakrishnan, The Hindu

Tamil Nadu is back on the radar of Japanese businesses after the visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan to Chennai.

An upbeat Consul-General of Japan in south India, Masanori Nakano, said that while their visit was to promote goodwill and strengthen friendly relationship between the two countries, the fact that the royals chose to visit Chennai had brought the focus back on the city, and Tamil Nadu.

“Tamil Nadu is one of the most desired destinations for Japanese companies,” Mr.Nakano said. Last year, till October, as many as 344 companies had set up shop in Tamil Nadu.

“We expect this number to be surpassed this year. It has the unique geographical advantage, presence of major ports, availability of skilled labour force, and an investor-friendly government,” he said in an interaction at his official residence here. In contrast, Andhra Pradesh has 88 companies and Kerala, 53.

Japan is keen on participating in infrastructure projects in the State, he said. There were many ongoing projects. The Japan International Cooperation Agency is extending financial and technical support for the preparation of a comprehensive master plan of the Chennai – Bangalore industrial corridor project, which would also benefit Andhra Pradesh, he said.

Talks with the Tamil government on various projects have been progressing well. “Our government has recently exchanged notes to provide ODA [overseas development assistance] loan to Tamil Nadu investment promotion programme in November 2013. This assistance will enable the State to improve the investment climate and also ease hurdles for foreign investors, especially Japanese companies, whose presence is growing in the State,” he said.

The Hogennekal drinking water project, the Tamil Nadu Transmission System Improvement Project and the Chennai Metro Rail Project are among the ODA-funded projects in the State.

Japanese Funding Sought for Chennai Projects - Deepa H. Ramakrishnan, The Hindu

In an effort to reduce congestion on the city’s roads and in its suburbs, the Highways department has proposed 13 new projects including seven grade-separators, one flyover, the widening of two major roads, a skywalk and a foot overbridge.

Proposals for a total of Rs. 2,000 crore have been submitted to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for funding of these projects.