India and Japan: News and Discussion

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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by SSridhar »

Japan keen on friendship with northeast - Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu
Days after the visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan has begun its outreach for the northeastern region. At the fourth Northeast Connectivity Summit in Kohima from September 22 to 23, a representative of the Embassy of Japan said Tokyo would invest in the region’s infrastructure, education and people-to-people sectors.

The next edition of the summit will be held in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China.

“Kenko Sone, Minister, Economic Affairs, Embassy of Japan, speaking at the summit, said the northeastern region is located at a strategically and economically important juncture between India and Southeast Asia as well as within the Bimstec (Bay of Bengal) community. Therefore, Japan has placed a particular importance on the cooperation in the northeastern region,” said a press note by the Nagaland government on the summit.

Road network

The press release noted that for the northeast, Japan had undertaken works on road connectivity, energy projects, water supply and sanitation, forest resources management, Japanese language education and post-war reconciliation, which aimed to build a deeper understanding of the actions of Japanese forces in the region during the Second World War.

Mr. Sone announced that Tokyo would invite 25 young people from Manipur and Nagaland to Japan this year.

During the latest visit of Prime Minister Abe to Ahmedabad, Japanese officials said Tokyo was committed to undertaking two major road and infrastructure building projects in Mizoram and Meghalaya. But the event in Kohima provided a broader portrait of Japan’s interest in the northeast.

The next Connectivity Summit in Tawang is expected to take Japan’s representation into the strategically located region that borders China. It was noteworthy that during Mr. Abe’s visit, Japanese officials had declined to spell out if Tokyo would be interested in acquiring projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Myanmar’s interest

The summit also indicated Myanmar’s interest in the potential of the region. Speaking at the event, Myanmar’s Minister of Cultural Affairs Sai Kyaw Zaw urged people from Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur to forge closer ties with Myanmar as the country shared long borders with all four States.

Nagaland’s Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar also urged improved connectivity with Myanmar for unlocking the regional trade potential. The summit included diplomatic participation from Bhutan, Russia, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by Prem »

https://twitter.com/TTLeeBrown/status/9 ... 4974139392
Troy Lee-Brown
Next edition of the #JapanIndia NE Connectivity Summit will be held in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh bordering China. https://t.co/PHwihsM7Xt
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by Rudradev »

Shinzo Abe calls an Early General Election

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/japans ... 2017-09-25
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday called a snap general election in a bid to consolidate power in the midst of a diplomatic crisis with North Korea, according to media reports. Abe said he'll dissolve parliament on Thursday Sept. 28, but didn't give a date for the election. There's speculation that the vote will be held on Oct. 22, more than a year sooner than planned.
It is VITALLY important to propagating the momentum of India-Japan relations that Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (the nationalist BJP-equivalent in Japan) wins re-election.

PM Modi has perhaps a stronger personal equation with Abe than with ANY other foreign leader. The worldviews and national programs of both leaders align very well, both in terms our individual countries as well as on common geopolitical ground (China etc.)

Right now the factors favouring Abe's re-election include
1) Disarray of the main opposition Democratic Party (the Congi-equivalent in Japan, who are also suffering a leadership crisis atm)
2) Strong national-security appeal of Abe's LDP is enhanced by the NoKo situation

Factors opposing Abe's re-election include
1) Weak/sluggish economy (if India can do anything to help him out, it is here)
2) A couple of corruption "scandals" widely tom-tommed in anti-LDP media have shaken Abe's Modi-like image as a reformer
3) A Kejriwal 5th-columnist effort is being pushed by Western Wilsonian cabal, possibly in collaboration with PRC, who do NOT want Japan to re-militarize in accordance with Abe's agenda. This has taken the form of a new party that was floated Yuriko Koike, the mayor of Tokyo, which hammered Abe's LDP in the recent Tokyo municipal elections (no doubt with huge social-media engagement by the US/UK funded troll-farms of the new orange revolution). Koike's party is being promoted by Western interests (possibly Chinese as well) as a sort of AAP to go nationwide and challenge Abe's LDP.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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How Japan wants to counter China: The plan includes US, India, Australia
Japan will propose a strategic dialogue among leaders of the United States, India and Australia, aiming at counteracting China’s expansion under its “Belt and Road” policy, Foreign Minister Taro Kono told the Nikkei business daily.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to propose the idea to US President Donald Trump on November 6 when they plan to hold a summit meeting, said the Nikkei on Thursday.

The proposal is for the leaders of the four nations to promote free trade and defence cooperation across the land and sea to Southeast, South and Central Asia, and beyond to the Middle East and Africa, Kono said in the interview with the Nikkei conducted on Wednesday.


“We are in an era when Japan has to exert itself diplomatically by drawing a big strategic picture,” Kono was quoted as saying.

“To maintain free and open ocean, the economy and security will surely be on the table,” he said.

Kono said the aim was to also promote high-quality infrastructure investment across Asia to Africa.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vast “Belt and Road” infrastructure project was included in the ruling Communist Party’s constitution on Tuesday, giving it greater policy heft and added pressure to succeed.

The “Belt and Road” plan, a “Silk Road”-like initiative, is a vehicle for China to take a greater role on the international stage by funding and building global transport and trade links in more than 60 countries.

Kono also said putting pressure on North Korea would “certainly be necessary” to make Pyongyang dismantle its missile and nuclear development, according to the Nikkei.

He said if North Korea accepted a review by International Atomic Energy Agency it would be “the most trustworthy” option for conditions for talks between Pyongyang and the international community.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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Japan to relax visa regime for Indians from January 1 - PTI
Japan will simplify its visa rules from January 1 next year for Indians and issue multiple-entry-visa for short-term stay, a move which is expected to benefit tourists and business persons as well as repeat visitors, the Japanese embassy said on Tuesday.

The relaxed visa regime will not only have simplification of visa application documents but also expansion of scope of eligible applicants, it said.

Under the simplification of visa application documents, the applicant's employment certificate and explanation letter stating the reason will be exempted in cases of applying for multiple-entry-visa.

"In principle, applicants will be able to apply for multiple-entry-visa with only three documents --passport visa application form (with photo) and papers to prove the financial capability (for tourism purpose)/documents to prove the applicants affiliation to certain enterprises (for business purpose)," said the Japanese foreign ministry release, which was issued by the embassy here [New Delhi].

The changes will also have expansion of scope of eligible applicants.

Multiple entry visas with a validity of 5 years maximum and stay of 90 days maximum will be issued to applicants who have travel records to Japan twice or more in the last one year, it said, adding in this case, the eligible applicants may submit only their passports and visa application form.

"The relaxations are expected to help further development of people-to-people exchanges between Japan and India by enhancing convenience for Indian tourists and business persons as well as repeat visitors," the release said.

In February, Japan had introduced the simplification of visa application procedure for single entry visa for Indian students to promote visit of Indian youths to Japan.

Under this relaxation, Indian students, graduate students and alumni of universities in India may submit certificate of student status or graduation instead of the document to prove financial capability in the application for single entry visa for short-term stay.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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http://www.atimes.com/article/japan-joi ... ndia-ties/
Should Japan join China-led AIIB to strengthen India ties?
Japanese academic joins calls for Tokyo to join Delhi in supporting the bank
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

Excuse me but what does Australia bring to the table? So far they have been UK, US, and China poodles in that order. And under three masters have always been an attack dog on India.
Shouldn't forget their recording INS Mysore sonar signature on its return journey.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by Cosmo_R »

ramana wrote:Excuse me but what does Australia bring to the table? So far they have been UK, US, and China poodles in that order. And under three masters have always been an attack dog on India.
Shouldn't forget their recording INS Mysore sonar signature on its return journey.
Not much except keeping them away from China. OZ may come around as it becomes more diverse and therefore less racist. In the end, you can't pout for past slights. Oz are today where UK was in the 1950s wrt to brown people.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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Chinese own a lot of institutions and have their claws in the australian economy -- so the horse has already bolted as far as keeping them away from China, one would think. If China has a tight grip on Oz economy, and Oz leans against China militarily by joining the Quad, what is the incentive for Oz to not continue to push chinese interests even as part of the Quad.

Even very recently Oz has gone out of the way to screw Indian business interests like Adani's coal mine, while at the same time, not opposing similar chinese mining projects -- the bull droppings according to Oz leftist politicians is that it is about the environment. While at the same time, chinese investment in Oz mining is considered a boon for australia. Why should australian behavior be any different when it comes to balancing a military relationship between China and India.

link
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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^^^That is reacting to high school slights. Adani's coal mines in OZ are the direct result of UPA/RAGA screwing him in India with environmental roadblocks (tribals etc).

India has one of the largest coal reserves in the world. Why are the Adanis setting up coal mines abroad to import coal into India? Answer: Jayanti. The Chinese mines are older and the Chinese lobby are are more effective because they can hold out carrots that would be lost if they pouted.

If you want to sit at the table and play, make sure you have cards and not just a moral argument.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by periaswamy »

Not making any moral judgements.

(1) Chinese investments in Australia are orders of magnitude more than Indian investments in Australia (2) Adani's investments in Oz are being resisted -- his decision to invest in Oz and UPA etc are irrelevant to what is being discussed. (3) As you acknowledge, Chinese lobby is in Oz is significant and effective

So, given the above facts, how does it follow that " OZ may come around as it becomes more diverse and therefore less racist. In the end, you can't pout for past slights" -- that seems to be a moral-judgement of Oz character, and is not relevant to the question what exactly Australia has to offer to the Quad, since it is not its non-existent naval power. Then what? What are the indicators that chinese lobbying in Oz will not work against India in this kind of "you bring the wheat, and I'll bring the chaff" kind of arrangement with Australia? What is australia's skin in the game, and what does australia have to lose if it decides to work against India's interests down the line? There are precedents to Oz doing exactly that, which is what was pointed above -- that was not some high school pouting, as you have wrongly read. We can all agree about generalities like "if you want to sit in the game you have to have cards to play" -- India has the cards, so what cards does Oz have exactly?
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Re: India-US-Japan_Australia, Quad

Post by SSridhar »

ramana wrote:Excuse me but what does Australia bring to the table? So far they have been UK, US, and China poodles in that order. And under three masters have always been an attack dog on India.
Shouldn't forget their recording INS Mysore sonar signature on its return journey.
Parts of the post may be OT here but needed for an overall understanding.

Australia is being propped up by the US & Japan for entirely different reasons, even as India is warming up to Australia. In the 90s, Australia used to be incensed at the greatly expanding IN and began to aggressively shadow our assets in open seas. As the relationship improves, these may be behind us. We have been quite circumspect with Australia but the confidence building measures with Oz along with the push by Japan and the US may have allowed us to give the nod.

If we look at how these relationships have evolved (India-US-Japan-Australia) step-by-step in the last decade, the Quad would not be surprising at all. I have tried to piece together such a history from what I have been following.

In the case of the US, it is worthwhile to look at how the 'Pivot to Asia' evolved.

During the subsequent East Asia Summit (EAS) meet after the mid-November, 2012 Bali ASEAN meet, the US President Barack Obama opined that this summit must be the ‘premier arena . . . to work together on a wide range of issues: maritime security or nonproliferation’. This was the first time that the US participated in the EAS. Of the 18 nations represented at the East Asia Summit, only the leaders of Cambodia and Myanmar did not raise the issue of maritime security. Just a day earlier, President Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had announced increased cooperation between the US and Australian defence forces with the proposed deployment of US marines at Darwin. This was described as “the presence that’s necessary to maintain the security architecture of the region”. Obama also said “I am making it clear that the United States is stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific”. As Australia began to realize the increasing significance of India, it formally requested the US to consider Indo-Pacific as as the replacement paradigm for the Asia-Pacific during the annual Strategic Review meeting with the US as part of Ausmin. Speaking in the Australian Parliament, President Obama said, “. . . in our welcome of India as it “looks east” and plays a larger role as an Asian power.” In January 2012, President Barack Obama unveiled a new US strategic plan for the decade articulating new US defence and security architecture. He said, “We will of necessity rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region”, a reference which has been interpreted as the US “pivot towards Asia”. In September 2012, it was announced that a US Marine Corps forward headquarters on Palawan Island, in the western Philippines had been setup. In c. 2015, the US was discussing with the Malaysian government for access to its naval base in Sabah which is situated in northern Borneo. In August 2016, India and the US signed the logistics pact, LEMOA. In the meanwhile, the 25-year deployment programme between the US & Australia was proceeding as the US stationed 1250 Marines at Darwin. It has also deployed Ospreys, Cobras & Hueys in Darwin, apart from F-22s, F/A-18s in nearby northern Australian base and possibly F-35s soon. When the 10-year Indo-US Defence Framework Agreement was renewed in June, 2015 by Ash Carter, US Dy. Secretary of Defense, it specifically included new partners, Japan & Australia for military exercises. During his visit to India in March 2016, Admiral Harry Harris, U.S. Pacific Commander, suggested considering expanding the trilateral Op. Malabar into a quadrilateral one by including the Australian Navy. In fact, the US has been at it for a very long time. Soon after the tsunami of 2004, the US suggested a five-nation axis consisting of the US, Japan, South Korea (RoK), Australia and India. The joint communiqué at the end of the c. 2011 annual US-Australia strategic review meeting called Ausmin , called for, “deeper strategic ties between Australia, the US and India, welcomed India's engagement in East Asia and called for greater co-operation with India in providing for maritime security.”

The simultaneous development of India-Australia relationship is also to be noted. The two countries had signed earlier the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation concluded in 2006, and the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation issued during the former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s visit to India in 2009. Earlier, Australia, which has 40% of world’s uranium, had decided in October 2011 to establish nuclear trade with India including exporting Uranium. India and Australia, realizing that they have to come closer in critical strategic issues, held their first talks on civilian nuclear partnership in March, 2013, a meeting that was not only concerned with bilateral nuclear matters but wide-ranging including global non-proliferation possibly leading to membership in the Australia Group. In her visit to New Delhi in November 2013, the Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, announced Australia’s decision to support India’s membership in NSG. During a historic visit to Australia in June 2013, the Indian Defence Minister, A.K.Antony and his Australian counterpart issued a joint statement stating that a bilateral maritime exercise between the two navies will be held in 2015. India and Australia had participated together in multilateral maritime exercises in Malabar in 2007 and in Milan in 2012. Both sides acknowledged that maritime security and freedom of navigation in accordance with principles of international law were critical for the growth and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. The Indian Navy was invited to the October, 2013 International Fleet Review (IFR) held in Sydney. In c. 2013, Australia released a Country Strategy Document on India which identified the Indian Navy as possessing the most potential for a close maritime partnership. In March 2013, India and Australia, under the aegis of the Australia-India Institute (AII), launched a taskforce in Canberra “to discuss, debate and report on policy directions that both may consider for the future enhancement of regional security”. The taskforce’s report has also examined the issues related to sea lanes of communication (SLOC) security along the long Indo-Pacific littoral, with particular focus on Indian and Australian perspective on SLOC security between the Red Sea and South China sea and to consider the roles of India and Australia in Indo-Pacific security, including discussion of Indian and Australian perspectives on their (and each other’s) future roles in Indo-Pacific security. In September 2014, during his state visit to India, the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Modi. Australia reversed its policy of not signing any deal with non-NPT countries, just for India because of what Abbott called India’s “model behavior”. During the hugely successful visit by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to Canberra in November 2014 (the first Indian PM to do so in 28 years), India and Australia also signed a Framework for Security Cooperation Agreement. The two countries also host an annual Defence Policy Talks and a 1.5 Track Defence Strategic Dialogue. In the trilateral dialogue involving India, Japan and Australia held in New Delhi in June 2015, maritime security, including freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and trilateral maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean were primarily discussed. Unnamed Indian defence sources claimed that India, Japan and Australia had decided to deepen their ties in all sectors, especially in the field of maritime security. It was also said that “Discussion on a possible trilateral naval exercise was held but no decision has been taken”. In September, 2015 the Indian and Australian navies conducted the first joint exercise, AUSINDEX, off Vishakapatnam. For the March 2016 Army Exercise in Pune, named Field Training Exercise (FTX-2016) involving the 10 member ASEAN states, India invited Australia. During the Australian PM Turnbull’s visit to India in March 2017, several important military-related agreements were signed. It was decided to hold bilateral naval exercises AUSINDEX starting from c. 2018, while a bilateral exercise of the Special Forces would be held in the later half of c. 2017. It was also decided to hold the first bilateral army exercise in c. 2018.

So, we do see the spiked American interests in Australia and the slowly maturing India-Australia relationship culminating in the Quad. The push had also come from Japan, as we see below.

As far back as c.2007, the then Japanese Prime Minister, Abe had told a joint Indian Parlaiment his vision of a “broader Asia” constituting the Pacific and Indian Ocean countries— Japan, India, Australia, and the United States—that share the common values of democracy, freedom, and respect for basic human rights. The Japan-Australia ties have progressed steadily and Japan even offered its Soryu-class submarines to Australia two years back. There have also been several joint military exercises. Japan & Australia have a 'special strategic partnership' as well. Japan & Australia are also collaborating on a few defence-related projects. Indeed, it was the Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono who pushed for the Quad. I have posted more on this in the China Neutering thread. Japan also wants to diminish an overwhelming influence China wields in Oz.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by A_Gupta »

http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 151_1.html
India, Japan look at joint moon mission, will bring samples to earth
India and Japan will collaborate to send a joint mission to the moon, which includes landing a rover and bringing samples back to the earth, a feat that was last achieved over four decades ago.

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President Naoki Okumara said on Friday that an implementation agreement for the collaborative mission will be finalised within the next two months.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by eklavya »

ramana wrote:Excuse me but what does Australia bring to the table?
29% of global uranium reserves.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/informatio ... anium.aspx
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by Cosmo_R »

periaswamy wrote:- India has the cards, so what cards does Oz have exactly?
Could you be more specific on what 'cards' we hold? And, whether there is more than only one way to play them? For example, would we consider aligning with China against Japan and the US?
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by Prem »

eklavya wrote:
ramana wrote:Excuse me but what does Australia bring to the table?
29% of global uranium reserves.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/informatio ... anium.aspx
Whole Asurtalia waiting to be Devabhumi.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by periaswamy »

cosmo_r: Could you be more specific on what 'cards' we hold? And, whether there is more than only one way to play them? For example, would we consider aligning with China against Japan and the US?
India holds the "geography" card, given that India straddles all of the Indian Ocean, which means costs of navigating and defending it are less for India than it is for countries further away. There are no rules in this sort of thing, so it is a given that the number of options is limited only by the percieved choices we create for ourselves.

In this case, the choices are a trilateral or a quadrilateral -- neither of which will involve china, obviously. The question is why Australia should be involved -- I can buy the argument that if Australia becomes a supplier of nuclear raw material, then they are bringing something tangible to the table, and a quad arrangement would not be unreasonable.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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periaswamy wrote:The question is why Australia should be involved -- I can buy the argument that if Australia becomes a supplier of nuclear raw material, then they are bringing something tangible to the table, and a quad arrangement would not be unreasonable.
periaswwamy, for the following reasons, I suppose, in no particular order.
  • India is not the 'sole' arbitrator of who should or should not be part of the 'alliance'
  • I say 'alliance' and not Quad because if there is no perceptible improvement in the security situation in the region soon enough, we may see South Korea also joining it (in spite of Japan's presence)
  • India had reservations against Oz and rightly so but they are disappearing (or have disappeared) as I have detailed in the post earlier
  • India realizes that it cannot tackle China by itself and wants to be a team player and India's relations with all the members of the 'alliance' are excellent
  • The US & Oz have a longstanding defence relationship and the Pivot has added more assets in Oz and naturally the US is interested in seeing Oz presence in the 'alliance'
  • The Japan-Oz defence alliance is also growing significantly
  • The UK & France are being 'co-opted' too because they have some real estate assets in the region
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by NRao »

I think Indian reluctance to include Australia has to do with the Sino-Australia relationship. Australia had withdrawn, some 10 years ago, because of China. I suspect the US has provided some assurances to India. ?????
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by srin »

^^^ The above happened during Kevin Rudd's time, when Australia became China's lapdog.

Here's one take on the history of the "quad": The rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the "Quad"
Long read, but a good one.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by KrishnaK »

SSridhar wrote:
periaswamy wrote:The question is why Australia should be involved -- I can buy the argument that if Australia becomes a supplier of nuclear raw material, then they are bringing something tangible to the table, and a quad arrangement would not be unreasonable.
periaswwamy, for the following reasons, I suppose, in no particular order.
  • India is not the 'sole' arbitrator of who should or should not be part of the 'alliance'
  • I say 'alliance' and not Quad because if there is no perceptible improvement in the security situation in the region soon enough, we may see South Korea also joining it (in spite of Japan's presence)
  • India had reservations against Oz and rightly so but they are disappearing (or have disappeared) as I have detailed in the post earlier
  • India realizes that it cannot tackle China by itself and wants to be a team player and India's relations with all the members of the 'alliance' are excellent
  • The US & Oz have a longstanding defence relationship and the Pivot has added more assets in Oz and naturally the US is interested in seeing Oz presence in the 'alliance'
  • The Japan-Oz defence alliance is also growing significantly
  • The UK & France are being 'co-opted' too because they have some real estate assets in the region
All excellent points, but there is one more small one - one way to look at this is, if some party is not in your tent, they're free to join the other side. It is imperative that India ensures all countries in the Indian ocean have strong economic & security (ideally, but if not possible then at least one) with it. If not, India should patiently and assiduously build those, without resorting to you bullied me in kindergarten.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by SSridhar »

srin wrote:Here's one take on the history of the "quad": The rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the "Quad"
Long read, but a good one.
A very good read.

There are many points there that we have also discussed here.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by periaswamy »

SSridhar:
India is not the 'sole' arbitrator of who should or should not be part of the 'alliance'

I say 'alliance' and not Quad because if there is no perceptible improvement in the security situation in the region soon enough, we may see South Korea also joining it (in spite of Japan's presence)
Thanks for the response, SSridhar Sir. I agree with you view of the situation -- also, to clarify, I did not mean India can determine who gets to be in the alliance, but that an alliance in which one or more parties are on the fence with respect to China are liable to make the alliance useless and break it up. All Australia needs is another Kevin Rudd type government to put a spanner on this evolving alliance, since australia is clearly driven by local political concerns, like any democracy, unless there is bipartisan support for this alliance. I do not see that when I read about australia's internal politics.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by SSridhar »

The Indian in the Yasukuni Shrine - Pallavi Aiyar, The Hindu
To the northwest of Tokyo’s imperial palace, the Yasukuni Shrine is a 148-year old complex of memorials and cherry tree-dotted grounds, commemorating those who died in the service of Japan between 1869 and 1947.

It has emerged as the symbol of Japan’s fraught relations with its neighbouring countries and its own uncomfortable relationship with its Second World War history. Among the two million people buried there are 1,068 convicted war criminals. Fourteen of these are categorised as ‘Class A’ criminals, found guilty of a special category of “crimes against peace and humanity” by the 11-member team of justices from Allied countries that made up the 1946 Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.

Visits to Yasukuni by senior Japanese politicians are viewed by neighbouring countries, in particular China and South Korea, as provocations, tantamount to a denial of war crimes. Japanese nationalists believe Yasukuni visits to be a justified exercise of sovereignty, indicating a moving on from what they consider to be an overly apologetic stance to the war. On the day this correspondent visited, there were scant traces of these bitter recriminations. A series of memorials dedicated to military horses, pigeon carriers and dogs charmed camera-wielding tourists. But the plaque attracting the tightest knots of visitors featured a large black and white photograph of an Indian judge: Radha Binod Pal.

In Japan, this Bengali jurist elicits the kind of recognition and reverence that other countries reserve for the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. Biographical mini series about the judge are aired on Japanese TV, memorials to him have been erected in Tokyo and Kyoto, and books debating his legacy are published every few years. The average Indian would be hard-pressed to identify Justice Pal at all. Until the war, he was best known for his contributions to the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922. His international profile comes from his participation in, and eventual dissent from, the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.

Twenty-five of Japan’s top wartime leaders were convicted by the tribunal of the new category of ‘Class A’ charges. Going against the grain of Allied judgment, Pal issued a 1,235-page dissent in which he rejected the creation of the ‘Class A’ category as ex post facto law. He further slammed the trials as the “sham employment of legal process for the satisfaction of a thirst for revenge”. And he argued that the nuclear incineration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should also be counted as major war crimes.

Procedural flaws

The Indian judge tends to be valorised by Japanese nationalists and historical revisionists who seek to deny Japan’s wartime culpability. But in fact the jurist did not absolve Japan. His intention was rather to highlight the flaws in the legal process of the trial. Since all the judges were appointed by victor nations, the Indian justice thought the trial to be biased and motivated by revenge.

In his 2007 book on Pal, Takashi Nakajima, an Associate Professor at Hokkaido University’s Public Policy School, criticises right-wing supporters of Pal for relying on out-of-context quotes from the dissenting judgment. Pal’s dissent ran to a quarter of a million words, but Prof. Nakajima says that only a handful of quotes tend to be used by historical revisionists as ballast for their agenda.

Back at the shrine, a Japanese tourist gazed at the Pal memorial, silently mouthing the words written on the plaque: “When Time shall have softened passion and prejudice… then Justice, holding evenly her scales, will require much of past censure and praise to change places.”
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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There's a piece today in a paper of how we should not throw ourselves into the Quad entirely and blindly but keep all options open.It was earlier a Pentagon with S'pore, but S'pore has dropped out ,why? S'Pore for decades was the staunchest ally of the US , what's happened? We are also running into an alliance with the US which is heavily dependent upon China for resolving the NoKo crisis, which economically has the ghoolies of Uncle Sam in its hands and is also letting down its erstwhile allies in the ME like ISIS, where a UK expose has given details of how ISIS leaders were saved by the US in Syria and smugglrd out before the axe fell.The Saudi king rushed to the Kremlin to kiss Putin's boot straps and plead with him not to support Iran.So much for the reliability of the "sole strat.superpower!
"
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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periaswamy wrote:All Australia needs is another Kevin Rudd type government to put a spanner on this evolving alliance, since australia is clearly driven by local political concerns, like any democracy, unless there is bipartisan support for this alliance. I do not see that when I read about australia's internal politics.
I agree that Australia ditched the Quad earlier and we have every right to be suspicious about it.

One of the reasons for Japan's Shinzo Abe to come so close to India (apart from historical reasons) is his recognition during Barack Obama's time that the US could not be depended upon. In fact, that was the fear many other Asian nations expressed too. Bipartisan support is one thing, but a President could take independent actions that undermine the confidence of the alliance partners. In these matters, mutual confidence between leaders/nations is needed to take successive steps in solidifying the alliance and in taking on a powerful enemy. That was what didn't happen with Kevin Rudd who buckled under Chinese pressure, as China issued a demarche to all five participating countries of the 2007 Malabar Ex. to explain the purpose. It could happen with a Trump also in spite of bipartisan support. In India too, opposition may curtail the Prime Minister's steps. Man Mohan Singh was opposed by the Communists (especially Harkishen Singh Surjeet) in these matters too during his first term, if we recall, and that restricted his freedom of action. India is usually a cautious country and some Quad partners can also accuse it of wavering because of that !!

Ultimately, in these matters we have to move in good faith, beyond a point.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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How an Indian, married into Japan's first family, is changing the India, Japan and the US trilateral - Seema Sirohi, Economic Times
It’s a famous last name in Japan and by extension in India. Kalpana Abe wears it lightly as she does her formidable list of accomplishments. From being a cardiovascular surgeon to travelling the world introducing mosquito-resistant paint to poor communities to prevent malaria, to being a Formula One racer to promoting sustainable development — the lady doth wear many hats comfortably.

Kalpana is getting ready to help take the India-Japan Global Partnership (IJGP) to Africa and present an alternative model of development that doesn’t “exploit but empowers” the people. Her connections, her access and, above all, her savvy will come in handy as India and Japan get down to real work in the coming years to strengthen their partnership and spread in and out of Asia.

She is married to Isao Abe, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cousin. She is not comfortable talking about her last name or boasting of her proximity to Japan’s first family. If anything, she actively downplays it — perhaps a Japanese trait she has picked up because it isn’t Indian for sure. With great difficulty she admits Shinzo Abe sometimes picks up the phone to call her to get insights into what the young people are thinking because she has three kids. He calls her Pana — short for Kalpana.

Looking at Africa
India and Japan have some big ideas for Africa, which if thought through and supported by the two governments could establish a counter to China’s model, which is primarily based on squeezing the continent dry of resources. But awareness is rising among Africans about how the Chinese create no jobs for the locals while they bribe generations of leaders into submission.

Several Indian, US and Japanese stakeholders came together recently for a reception on Capitol Hill to highlight the IJGP’s upcoming summit in New Delhi next month which will focus on the “power of the collective” for a more responsible development model. Vibhav Kant Upadhyay, the organiser and a key player in building the India-Japan relationship, says it all started with Tokyo’s interest in the massive Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. China’s dominance in Asia and beyond is pushing the India-Japan-US trilateral to come up with alternatives.

“China’s model is exploitative. It will crash automatically. We want to empower the people and we have managed to put the idea across to many African heads of government,” says Upadhyay, while describing the plan to do more joint projects in Africa.

He is trying to deepen the American involvement by seeking support from the US Congress and invite senators and congressmen to attend the December 11-14 summit. Kalpana Abe, currently vice president at Kansai Paint, Japan’s largest paint company, has worked Washington before and was present at the Congressional reception.

It’s helpful that India’s history with Japan is less complicated than with most other important countries, barring the post-1998 phase when Tokyo became India’s worst critic for conducting nuclear tests. Relations froze for a while. A semblance of normalcy was achieved in 2000 with the launch of IJGP, followed by a visit of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Japan in December 2001. In 2005, Shinzo Abe, in his first stint as prime minister, expanded the partnership to include security, defence and maritime cooperation. Meanwhile, the IT boom was sending a good number of Indians to Japan.

“India has a great reputation in Japan. Both Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe wanted to build the relationship because they saw India as the answer both in terms of security and economics,” says Kalpana. A common thread or threat has been China. Now Abe is back with a thumping majority and he could very well go on to become Japan’s longest serving prime minister.

More importantly, he has plans to change Japan’s pacifist constitution, which allows only “self-defence forces” and forbids offensive operations, to develop a more robust posture. “He can’t do it overnight but changes will come,” says Kalpana.

“The United States is Japan’s most important ally and India is seen as the second most important. Our cultures are also similar.” Kalpana is a trailblazer in Japan at many levels. As an Indian — a foreigner in other words — married to a Japanese, she has successfully navigated the deeply traditional society and managed an impressive career and family. It’s not easy when you come from a relatively informal culture to a forbiddingly formal one.

“My husband has been my spine,” she says. “He is not typical. Without him I wouldn’t have a career.” Kalpana, a Tamil born in Singapore in an upper class industrial family, and Isao fell in love while both were studying in the US. Although the families knew each other well, their children getting married wasn’t part of the plan. Opposition came from both sides — the Indian parampara against Japanese dento or tradition. “Isao told me he would always take care of me no matter what. I was also like, ‘do or die’,” says Kalpana, who was 18 at the time.

They got married though it was tough getting assimilated in Japanese society. But it’s been 32 years of happiness, she says. They have a son and two daughters — Hyunsu Narayan, Hitomi Vidya and Hiromi Baghya — and three dogs, two of whom were adopted from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site.

“I feel very Japanese today, but my samskara hasn’t changed — respect for elders, religious tolerance, no religious evangelism,” Kalpana says. She is fluent in Japanese and says her knowledge of Tamil helped her master the sentence structure.

If all goes according to plan, Kalpana Abe is set to play an important role in another complex project — strengthening the India-Japan partnership and giving teeth to a more holistic model of development.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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Scripting another Asian narrative - Pallavi Aiyar, The Hindu
Japan has long been an anomaly: an economic powerhouse within a geostrategic pygmy. But China’s muscular ascent combined with the capriciousness of a Trump-led U.S. is causing Tokyo to slough off its diplomatic slumber and rethink its role in Asia. From proposing new security dialogues, to taking the lead in developing multilateral trade agreements, it is beginning to pick up some of the slack left by the U.S.’s “America First”-influenced withdrawal from leadership in Asia.

Japan is in a potentially explosive neighbourhood, and it no longer believes that a wholescale reliance on the U.S. for a defence umbrella is sufficient to secure its best interests. Foreign Minister Tarō Konō said in October: “We are in an era when Japan has to exert itself diplomatically by drawing a big strategic picture.”

Military normalisation is one prong of Japan’s new foreign policy, but even if a controversial revision of Japan’s pacifist Constitution, as proposed by newly re-elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe goes through, the archipelago’s armed forces will remain under strong, self-imposed constraints. The constitutional revision would merely recognise the legality of Japan’s long extant Self-Defense Forces (SDF). Offensive weapons and preemptive strikes would remain outlawed.

Countering China

His nationalist leanings notwithstanding, even Mr. Abe realises that remilitarising alone will not provide Japan with an effective solution to its diplomatic dilemmas. What Tokyo needs to prevent the region from succumbing to a Pax Sinica is to use its strengths, its capital, its technological know-how and its democratic credentials to win friends and influence countries across the region and beyond. It needs to beat infrastructure sugar daddy China at its own game.

A large part of China’s rise has to do with its indispensability to global trade. But Japan is a trading heavyweight too, and is attempting to stake leadership on the regional platform with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). With the U.S.’s departure from trade negotiations, Japan has become the principal driving force keeping the deal alive. At November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, Japan got the 11 countries still involved to agree on the “core elements” of a deal. It wants to lead rule-making on trade in the Asia Pacific, rather than let China set the agenda with alternatives to TPP such as the Beijing-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

At the same time, Japan is stepping up aid and investment in Southeast Asia. A train line near Manila, a seaport in Cambodia, and assistance in the reconstruction of Marawi City in the Philippines are some examples. As the top source of development aid to Vietnam, it has helped construct a new airport terminal in Hanoi as well as the first subway line in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Abe recently committed 1 trillion yen ($8.7 billion) to the Philippines over the next five years, with a continued focus on infrastructure development. Japanese investment in major Southeast Asian countries is estimated to have averaged $20 billion per year, from 2011 to 2016, more than double the average annual flows between 2006 and 2010.

Japanese sales pitches to countries in the region always have one eye on China, emphasising advantages in areas where Beijing is vulnerable such as safety, reliability and solutions that deliver benefits to local populations.

Looking to India

China’s $900 billion, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure building campaign across Eurasia is a gauntlet that Japan has picked up by turning to the only country in the region with the heft to match China, India.

Japan and India have announced an Asia-Africa Growth Corridor, aimed at creating sea corridors linking the countries of the Indo-Pacific to Africa. In addition, Japan is cooperating with India in third country infrastructure projects such as Iran’s Chabahar Port, Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee port, and the possible joint development of the Dawei port along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Japan has bagged the $17 billion contract to build India’s first high speed railway line, linking Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Tokyo is also investing in development projects in the Northeast and the Andaman and Nicobar islands. And Japan’s Diet gave the go ahead to a Japan-India civil nuclear energy deal earlier this year. The possibility of purchasing Japanese submarines and search-and-rescue planes to help the Indian Navy is being discussed.

Creating a ‘Quad’

A free and open Indo-Pacific, a phrasing that places India as a major actor in the Pacific, is an idea being proselytised by Japan in conjunction with the U.S. This is a response to concerns over the expansion of the Chinese navy and Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, waters through which a huge majority of Japanese energy supplies transit.

It is against this background that Tokyo’s championing of the Quadrilateral dialogue with the U.S., India and Australia aimed at creating a community of democratically oriented interests in the region must be understood.

Tokyo wants to use the bilateral ties it is developing to create a multilateral architecture in the region. Like Germany in post-World War II Europe, Japan is aware that unilateral moves by it invariably conjure up images of militarism and expansionism. However, without making genuine amendments for its past aggressions, an idea that Mr. Abe does not seem interested in, Japan’s attempts to shape the future of the region will remain constrained.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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India, Japan to form working group on civil nuke deal - Nyanima Basu, Business Line
India and Japan will soon form a joint working group (JWG) that will identify the location, create joint ventures and establish a roadmap for building nuclear reactors in the country.

The JWG will comprise representatives from both private and public sectors of both countries. It will have representatives from Toshiba, Hitachi and Mitsubishi, among others, that are interested in building nuclear reactors in India
, sources told BusinessLine.

However, the liability issue still remains a major concern with the Japanese. One of the main objectives of the JWG will be to find a way to address this issue by working jointly with the Indian government, sources said.

A delegation from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will visit India later this month to hold wide-ranging consultations with the Department of Atomic Energy (DEA), headquartered in Mumbai, sources added.

The deal, which culminated six years of negotiation, was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo in November last year; it came into force in July 2017 after the Japanese Diet ratified it. Under this deal, India will be the first country that is not a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) to obtain Japanese nuclear technology.

As a result, the Japanese government is facing severe backlash from the Opposition parties there on exporting nuclear technology and goods to India. Besides, Japanese exporters continue to press the government to find a way out of the liability clause.

While the Japanese government has been able to push through the deal in the Diet, crucial questions still remain on Japanese companies’ liability in the event of a nuclear accident. This issue has become all the more critical for these firms following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.

Sources added that the bankruptcy of US-based nuclear reactor builder Westinghouse Electric Corporation has also created hurdles for its partner Toshiba.

Apart from this, Japan wants to address one of the most important clauses in the nuclear treaty, which specifies that the deal with India will be scrapped if India does any future testing of nuclear weapons developed by it.


Once implemented, the deal is expected to pave the way for smoother nuclear trade — not only in terms of nuclear technology but also nuclear material and nuclear equipment.

This will also enable both sides to expedite negotiations for concluding the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty. {What? That is not a bilateral issue :evil: }
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by Vips »

Someone needs to give a huge jhapad or a kick to the Japanese to come out of their slumber and smell the coffee. They need to put their money where their mouth is when reaching out to India.

They also for their own good need to become practical, give up their pacifist outlook and carry out a nuclear dhamaka pronto.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

Post by disha »

Why are we cursing the Japanese when our own DDM or #Mediapimps could be at play here?

Nyanima Basu is a concerned global citizen (https://twitter.com/nayanima?lang=en) and that means something., like inserting statements that concern the globe.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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Even if the self hating Indians and DDM were to act straight, the Japanese have a long way to go before they come out of their self imposed righteousness (downright foolishness). Nobody is going to forget how they behaved when Buddha laughed in 1998.
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India-Japan Act East Forum will be a milestone: Envoy - PTI
The India-Japan Act East Forum will be a "milestone" for an enhanced relationship between his country and the North Eastern Region of India, and reinforce the bilateral ties, Japanese envoy Kenji Hiramatsu today said.

The ambassador said this in his address at the first meeting held in New Delhi under the newly established 'Act East Forum' which was set up to identify specific projects for economic development of the North Eastern Region (NER).

"Indeed, I am sure that the Act East Forum will be a milestone for an enhanced relationship between Japan and the North Eastern Region in India," he said.

He emphasised that historically, Japan was related to the NER through the experience of the Battles of Imphal and Kohima during the World Ward II.

During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India in September, both sides had signed a pact to establish the India-Japan Act East Forum.

"Furthermore, Japan is keen to expand business opportunities of Japanese companies in the North Eastern Region so that we can directly share the economic profits with the local societies," the envoy said in a statement.

The statement was handed out to a group of journalists from India and Japan, during Hiramatsu's interaction with them at the Japanese Embassy here late evening.

The Forum consists of all the "relevant Union ministers and state governments of North Eastern Region from India's side, and the Embassy of Japan and all government-affiliated agencies in New Delhi from Japan's side," he added.

"This is the first such framework to get all relevant officials together," the envoy said. Hiramatsu said, "I am sure that this initiative will further expand our cooperation in the North Eastern Region, deepen friendship between Japan and this region, and reinforce the Japan-India relationship further."
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Japan looks to enhance counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan: Japanese FM - DAWN
Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Kono came to Pakistan for a two day visit on January 3.

During this time FM Toro discussed bilateral relations with Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and met Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The visit came just after the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Japan.

During their meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed that the relations between Pakistan and Japan are marked by an upward trajectory and agreed to maintain the momentum in the exchange between the two countries.

FMs Asif and Kono also exchanged views on the evolving peace and security situation in their respective regions, and FM Asif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan and support for an Afghan-led and an Afghan-owned reconciliation process.

FM Kono was also briefed on Pakistan’s efforts to enhance regional connectivity and development, especially through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Japanese FM was also briefed about Pakistan’s credentials for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

While calling on Gen Bajwa, FM Kono said that his country looks forward to enhancing its cooperation with Pakistan, especially in the field of counterterrorism.

The Japanese foreign minister was presented a guard of honour.
He visited the Shuhada monument where he laid a floral wreath.

During his meeting with the COAS, the foreign minister was given a briefing on Pakistan's ongoing struggle against terrorism and the country's contribution towards regional peace.

FM Kano appreciated and acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts towards regional stability and said that Japan looks forward to enhancing its cooperation with Pakistan, especially in the field of counterterrorism.

The visiting foreign minister also talked about Japanese assistance in rehabilitation of the temporarily displaced persons and the provision of scanning equipment for border crossing points.

This is the first visit to Pakistan by any Japanese Foreign Minister since 2009 when Katsuya Okada, the then FM visited the country.
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India, Japan to introduce AI, robotics in defence sector - ToI
India and Japan will work together to introduce artificial intelligence and robotics in the defence sector, the next level of strategic cooperation between the two Asian partners.

Kentaro Sonoura, Japan's state minister for foreign affairs and a close adviser to PM Shinzo Abe, told TOI in an exclusive chat, "You should expect to see increased bilateral cooperation between us to develop unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and robotics."

The strategic sphere is where the bulk of India-Japan convergence lies. After the nuclear agreement was ratified by the Japanese parliament late 2017, Sonoura said India and Japan would be setting up a joint task force for commercial agreements by the end of January. With the legislation behind them, the Japanese minister said Tokyo was keen to get this going. "The two PMs agreed to launch a working group, which will work on cooperation between nuclear companies. Japan's intention is to start this quickly, possibly by the end of this month," he said.

With an aggressive and expansionist China growing as a challenge to both India and Japan, the two countries are increasingly looking at the world from a similar lens. While the latest buzzword in international geopolitics, 'Indo-Pacific', might sound American, its actually Japanese in origin, having been articulated by Abe himself as far back as 2007.

In 2018, Japan's is aiming for a "free and open Indo-Pacific", a theme Sonoura expounded on at the recent Raisina Dialogue. This, he told TOI, was a coming together of Japan's Indo-Pacific policy and India's Act East policy. "We need to share the importance of rule of law and freedom of navigation among related countries. The next step is infrastructure development based on global standards, so that connectivity among countries is increased. The third step would be maritime law enforcement and disaster management that would ensure the stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Therefore, we would like to connect and combine our Indo-Pacific strategy and India's Act East policy as a one big picture. That's the synergy we seek," Sonoura said.

This is the kind of grand strategy that incorporates a stronger bilateral relationship as well as a multilateral one, between Japan-India-US, Japan-US-Australia and the Quadrilateral, Japan-US-India-Australia, seeking to tilt the strategic balance away from China.

Working with India in the quadrilateral, Sonoura said, the aims were slowly crystallising. "Among these four countries, we have the same standards in terms of maritime strategy and basic values. So it's important to realise these values - non-proliferation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Its important to utilise the strengths of these countries and use it. Rather than frameworks, its important what we can do - to create concrete results which should be visible to the world," he said. For India, the key aims of the quadrilateral is to come together on non-proliferation and on freedom of navigation.

To counter China's growing influence in India's neighbourhood, India has encouraged the presence of Japan and the US in South Asian countries, actions that might have elicited mild protests earlier. Consequently, New Delhi was remarkably quiet when Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono recently visited Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, increasing Japanese presence in these countries. Japan has already ramped up its involvement in Bangladesh and Myanmar, both countries on China's radar.

Questioned on this, Sonoura said, "Foreign minister Kono visited Maldives for the first time and Sri Lanka for the first time in 15 years. Last year I visited Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya and Mozambique. If you place this within the rubric of Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy, you will get the larger picture."

In Islamabad, Sonoura said, the Japanese message was clear that Pakistan had to take action on terrorism and terrorists. "With Pakistan, we have an older relationship. But in terms of counter-terrorism, our foreign minister told the Pakistanis they need to do more," he said {Japan is a member of the 3½ Friends original group}
.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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Unless there are tie-ups in defense and all round R&D with Japan, India gains little if anything out of this relationship.

Even less so with Australia which threw us under the bus by using their participation in Malabar exercises as a bargaining chip with China.

Best to plan to go it alone and not rely too much on these fair weathered alliances - unless we know for sure what we are getting out of it.
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Re: India and Japan: News and Discussion

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India is not economically ready to go it alone, yet. Until that day comes, Indian policy will continue to maintain responsible membership in global structures.

It arguably accrues more benefit than to act impetuously. Autarchy is a requirement for autonomy unless one admires Mao's China or present day North Korea.
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Neshant wrote:Unless there are tie-ups in defense and all round R&D with Japan, India gains little if anything out of this relationship.

Even less so with Australia which threw us under the bus by using their participation in Malabar exercises as a bargaining chip with China.

Best to plan to go it alone and not rely too much on these fair weathered alliances - unless we know for sure what we are getting out of it.
1) In every nation, there are two, separate, entities: Civilian and Military. This announcement (long way to go to implement it) deals with the military:
India and Japan will work together to introduce artificial intelligence and robotics in the defence sector, the next level of strategic cooperation between the two Asian partners.
Important to note that the two nations seem to consider it a strategic "cooperation". It is not a JV or the like - just cooperation. It still can be elevated, if and when the need arises.

2) China will decide where this goes. I think India (and perhaps even Japan) will have no option. India will have to collaborate. I just do not think India has the time or the funds to go it alone. Time is more criticl of these two



3) Strangle body count wise, India hosts the 3rd largest number of folks (IIRC close to 500K) in this area: AI + robotics, in the world (after China and the US)!!!! Just that 99% work for a foreign company - that is where the IP goes. So, India does have a critical mass in-house. It just needs to be refocused and funded.
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