EDITORIAL ANALYSIS à 09 JULY 2022 à THE HINDU
INDIA JAPAN RELATIONS:
Introduction:
- Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has been assassinated yesterday during a political rally in Japan.
- Also, the establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and India will mark their 70th anniversary in 2022.
- India and Japan established diplomatic relations on April 28, 1952.
India-Japan Relations:
Historical:
- The connection between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinities as well as strong cultural and civilizational ties, starting with the visit of the Indian monk Bodhisena in 752 AD.
- Famous Indians associated with Japan in modern times include Swami Vivekananda, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, JRD Tata, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and Judge Radha Binod Pal.
Diplomatic:
- India and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1952.
- In the first ten years after diplomatic ties were established, there were several high-level exchanges, such as the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to India in 1957.
- One of the few countries to assist India with its balance of payments issue in 1991 was Japan.
- The Act East Forum, established in 2017, will serve as a platform for India-Japan collaboration under the auspices of India’s “Act East Policy” and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision.”
Projects and investments:
- The support of Tokyo for health care efforts in India that are funded by the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) programme is required by four agreements between India and Japan.
- Funding is made available for development projects designed to meet the different fundamental needs of people living in poor countries through the “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP)” programme.
- Japan has invested 1,600 crores in development projects in the northeastern states of India, in addition to actively working with India on infrastructure projects in third countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
- India and Japan also signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in September to interchange goods and services between respective military forces.
- In the post-COVID period, both nations have laid out a strategy for expanding their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
- As the two nations finalised a number of collaborations and agreements to further their relationship, the Japanese prime minister visited India recently and promised to invest $42 billion (about Rs 3,20,000 crore) there over the following five years.
Economic and commercial relationships:
- The economic connections between Japan and India have a tonne of space to grow given the complementary nature of the two Asian economies.
- Japan’s interest in India has grown as a result of the country’s sizable and rising market, as well as its resources, particularly its human resources.
- The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Japan became effective in August 2011.
- The deal is the most extensive of its sort that India has ever signed and covers not just trade in goods but also services, the movement of people, investments, intellectual property rights, customs processes, and other trade-related issues.
- Japan has been India’s primary supplier of bilateral loans and assistance since 1958, making it the latter nation.
- The two nations’ bilateral commerce totaled US$11.87 billion for the fiscal year 2019–20 (April–December).
- Japan exported commodities worth US$ 3.94 billion to India while importing items worth US$ 7.93 billion.
- Some of India’s key exports to Japan include petroleum products, chemicals, elements, compounds, non-metallic mineral ware, fish and fish preparations, metalliferous ores and scrap, clothing and accessories, iron and steel goods, textile yarn, fabrics, and machinery.
- India’s key Japanese imports include machines, electrical machinery, iron and steel products, plastics, non-ferrous metals, auto parts, organic chemicals, metal manufacturers, etc.
Defence:
- The India-Japan Defense and Security Partnership has grown over time and is now an essential pillar of the two nations’ relations.
- Our engagements have been more effective as a consequence of growing strategic convergence, and their significance is growing as a result of our shared viewpoints on issues affecting the peace, security, and stability of the Indo-Pacific Region.
- In October 2008, during Prime Minister Singh’s visit to Japan, the two leaders issued the “Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation between Japan and India.”
- A few of the venues for security and defence conversations between Japan and India are the “2+2” summit, the annual Defense Ministerial Interaction, and the Coast Guard-to-Coast Guard dialogue.
- The JIMEX, SHINYUU Maitri, and Dharma Guardian bilateral exercises are jointly organised by Japanese and Indian defence forces. Both countries also participate in the Malabar exercise with the USA.
Engineering & Science:
- The 1985 Inter-Governmental Agreement formalised the two countries’ S&T cooperation.
- In order to expand both existing areas of cooperation and new initiatives within the context of cooperation in S&T/ICT, with a stronger emphasis on “Digital ICT Technologies,” the India-Japan Digital Partnership (IJDP) was founded when PM Modi visited Japan in October 2018.
- Recent initiatives include the establishment of three India-Japan Joint Laboratories in the field of ICT (AI, IoT, and Big Data) and the inauguration of the DST-JSPS Fellowship Program for young academics.
Healthcare:
- Together, the Japanese organisation ASHWIN and the Indian AYUSHMAN Bharat Programme were looking for ways to adapt AHWIN’s tale for AYUSHMAN Bharat.
Asian-Japanese Community:
- The recent influx of numerous professionals, including IT specialists, engineers working for Indian and Japanese corporations, as well as authorities in management, finance, education, and S&T research, has altered the composition of the Indian community.
Quad Grouping:
- In the Indo-Pacific region, bilateral cooperation between India and Japan has increased both bilaterally and under the framework of the Quad grouping.
- In the informal Quad strategic dialogue, India, the US, Japan, and Australia share the vision of a “free, open, and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
