India, Japan Will Work To Strengthen ‘Peacetime Cooperation’: Jaishankar

Relevance: GS 2- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

(Source: The Hindu, 07/29/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, the External Affairs Minister of India stated that India and Japan were natural partners and that they would strengthen peacetime cooperation.
• The event was also attended by the Japanese Foreign Minister who also discussed the Indo-Japanese partnership.
• Japan’s new Indo-Pacific policy also focussed on India’s indispensable role in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and a rule of law-based international order.

What did the External Affairs Ministers of India and Japan say on India-Japan cooperation during peacetime?

Indian

• Partners: India and Japan are natural partners in facing the emerging challenges of the future world order.
• Cooperation:
• India and Japan would work together to enhance cooperation in economics, supply chains, the digital sector and critical technologies, and maritime security.
• Ensuring strengthened peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific region would help avoid some of the worst fears of both countries.
• However, the minister did not directly reply to queries on India’s wartime cooperation if a war broke out over Chinese aggression in the Taiwan strait, which is one of Japan’s worst-case scenarios.
• Modernizer: Japan is the epitome of modernization and has played a crucial role in several industrial revolutions in India.
• These include the Maruti-Suzuki passenger car project, Metro rail projects, and high-speed rail projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shinkansen project.
• Therefore, Japan is a suitable example for India to follow in its pursuit of modernization.

Japanese

• India-China conflict:
  • India and Japan were cooperating through military and maritime exercises which could help India in case the Sino-India border conflict worsened or if security concerns arose in the Indo-Pacific.
  • The first-ever India-Japan joint fighter exercise was conducted in 2023 as part of the two countries’ efforts for military preparedness and enhanced interoperability.
• Regional stability:
  • Strong bilateral ties with countries of the region and improved people-people ties would boost regional stability.
  • Additionally, defense cooperation would contribute towards mitigating any potentially adverse scenarios.

Other initiatives discussed during the Meeting

• At the 15th annual India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, the two countries recommitted to Japanese investment worth five trillion yen in India during 2022-2027.
• Japan’s new Indo-Pacific policy, which was unveiled during the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to India in April 2023 focuses on investments in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
• Japan, which is the President of the G-7, has expressed its desire to align its presidential goals with India’s G-20 presidency goals such as prioritizing the involvement of the Global South.
  • It was necessary to listen to the voices of the Global South and cooperate on their issues such as a free and open international order based on the Rule of law.

Japan’s New Indo-Pacific Policy

• Japan’s new policy for the Indo-Pacific emphasizes the necessity to maintain a rules-based order and respect the geographical authority of countries in the region.
• The Indo-Pacific which is a combination of two regions — Asia and Africa; and two oceans - Pacific and Indian, can be a key driver towards ensuring international security and building wealth.
• Terrorism, Proliferation of WMD, Natural disasters, and efforts to alter the status quo were identified as major threats.

Four Pillars of Cooperation

• Quality Infrastructure Investment: Participate in economic development programs such as the G-20 Principles for "Quality Infrastructure Investment."
  • Implement and establish guidelines for Official Development Assistance (ODAs) through the mobilization of private capital, including $75 billion in public and private capital for infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific by 2030.
• Addressing challenges in an Indo-Pacific manner: Realistic initiatives in fields such as climate change, agricultural security, global health, and cybersecurity.
• Multi-layered Connectivity: Additional initiatives with Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Pacific Island countries.
  • Eg: Collaborate with India and Bangladesh to promote the Bay of Bengal-Northeast India industrial value chain
• Efforts for security: Assist nations in improving their maritime law enforcement capacities.

India-Japan ties

• Historic: India-Japan ties date back to the visit of Bodhisena, an Indian monk, in 752 AD.
  • India and Japan established diplomatic relations on 28 April 1952.
  • India agreed on a separate peace treaty with Japan in 1952 after its sovereignty was fully restored following the Second World War.
• Economic: India was the 18th largest trading partner for Japan, and Japan was the 13th largest trading partner for India in 2021.
  • Japan was the 5th largest investor for India in FY2021.
  • India has been the largest recipient of Japanese ODA Loan for the past decade
• Defense: Military exercises between India and Japan include
  • JIMEX- Bilateral naval exercise
  • SHINYU Maitri- Bilateral air force exercise
  • Dharma Guardian- Bilateral army exercise
  • Ex. Malabar- Naval exercise of QUAD nations

Challenges

• Trade: Indian exports have struggled to penetrate the Japanese market due to high quality and service standards, and language barriers.
• Defense Exports: India’s push towards promoting defense exports could lead to potential competition with Japan's defense exports.
• China: India and Japan relations have developed over concerns about China.
  • Experts have recommended increased cooperation in mutual interests such as Trade, Science and Technology Cooperation, etc.
• Delayed projects: Many Indo-Japan projects have been delayed and economically impacted such as the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project.
• Divergences: There is a divergence in interests between India and Japan.
  • These include India’s decision to exit from the trade pillar of IPEF, and RCEP due to domestic compulsions while Japan has aimed to engage proactively with countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Question: Furoshiki, which was recently in the news, is a sustainable alternative to plastic from which of the following countries?

(a) South Korea

(b) China

(c) Thailand

(d) Japan