'Confluence of the two seas': India-Japan ties all set to grow

New Delhi and Tokyo must coordinate their policies and strategies to counter Beijing's aggressive designs, if any, in future

The deliberations External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had with their Japanese counterparts Hayashi Yoshimasa and Hamada Yasukazu in their 2+2 dialogue held in Tokyo on September 8 offers yet another indication that ties between India and Japan are all set to grow further.

Observers say Japan's Self Defence Force and the Indian military conducted their first joint naval exercise in 2012. Since then, they have participated in many joint drills. Japan and India signed an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement in 2020.

During this dialogue in Tokyo, India and Japan agreed to bolster cooperation on maritime security, including by expanding joint drills and setting up a high-level defence dialogue. They agreed to hold the first Air Force fighter exercise. The two nations also agreed to launch a comprehensive dialogue between Japan's Joint Staff and India's Integrated Defence Staff.

Importantly, New Delhi and Tokyo have affirmed their opposition to attempts to unilaterally change the status quo -- a reference to Chinese expansionism in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. India has extended its support to Japan's plans of expanding and modernising its defence forces, including 'counterstrike capabilities'.

The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership today is based on shared values of democracy, freedom and respect for rule of law. It must flourish ever more. Beijing has had an aggressive approach towards not only the South China Sea and the East China Sea, but also the Himalayas. This constitutes a threat to India as well. New Delhi and Tokyo must coordinate their policies and strategies to counter Beijing's aggressive designs, if any, in future.

Pertinently, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe played a crucial role in taking India-Japan relations to a new high. In 2007, Abe delivered his famous speech 'confluence of the two seas'. This initiated a new era of cooperation between New Delhi and Tokyo. During his second term (2012-2020) as Japan's Prime Minister, Abe saw in Prime Minister Narendra Modi "a close friend and partner" to foster strong ties with India. The constant efforts of Modi and Abe led India-Japan relations to enter an intensive era of cooperation. This era witnessed historic breakthroughs, including the launch of an annual Prime Minister-level summit between the two nations, the creation of the Quad, with India as its vital member, and the launch of the "2+2 ministerial" meetings.

India-Japan ties must progress in the spirit of the vision Prime Ministers Abe and Modi shared with each other. Regrettably, some of the projects initiated during Abe's tenure are said to be moving slow. They include the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed rail, the civil nuclear deal, and the lack of progress in the talks for India to buy the Japanese US-2 amphibian. Prime Minister Modi and his current Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida could take steps to identify and remedy the irritants that hurt all such projects.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

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