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Business News/ News / World/  Japan calls for closer cooperation with India
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Japan calls for closer cooperation with India

Deputy PM Aso seeks closer ties to fight piracy, natural disasters and to be a stabilizing force in the region

Japanese deputy prime minister and finance minister Tarao Aso in New Delhi. Photo: Raveendran/AFP (Raveendran/AFP)Premium
Japanese deputy prime minister and finance minister Tarao Aso in New Delhi. Photo: Raveendran/AFP
(Raveendran/AFP)

New Delhi: Even as India continues to hold out hope that its ongoing boundary tensions with China will be resolved soon diplomatically, it has begun to reach out to some of China’s traditional rivals such as Japan and the US.

In line with this strategy, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was scheduled to visit Tokyo on a day-long trip later this month, is now planning a two-day tour. Singh is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on 27 May, hold meetings with functionaries of the Japanese government on 28 May and meet representatives of Japanese political parties on 29 May, two people familiar with the development said on Saturday.

Though Singh’s visit this month is to make up for a postponed trip that was due in December, it comes against the backdrop of increased tensions with India’s giant northern neighbour China over incursions into what India says is its territory. The incursions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the Ladakh area of Kashmir were noticed on 16 April. Media reports say PLA personnel were seen 19kms inside Indian territory.

India and China have had differing perceptions of where their common border lies for decades, with frequent claims and counter claims of incursions by the armies of both the sides. The dispute dates back to 1962, when the two sides fought a brief but bitter border war.

Singh’s December visit was postponed due to snap elections in Japan that brought the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to power. LDP chief and current Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is widely considered “a friend" of India by the government here.

That Japan would be interested in partnering India across a wide spectrum, including fostering closer ties between the two countries’ navies and coast guards and freedom of navigation in international waters, was made amply clear by Abe’s deputy, who also holds the post of Japanese finance minister, Taro Aso, in a speech in New Delhi on Saturday.

Describing India and Japan variously as “vibrant democracies in Asia", “maritime democracies" and “close partners" though not quite allies like the US and Japan", Aso called for closer cooperation to “fight piracy, to fight natural disasters and to be a stabilizing force across the wide confluence of the two seas (the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean)".

When asked about the possibility of enhanced India-Japan cooperation against the backdrop of the India-China stand-off, Aso noted that Japan, too, had a border dispute with China just like India, though in its case, it was a maritime boundary dispute and in India’s case it was a land boundary issue. Japan, he said, never quite enjoyed smooth ties with China.

“In recent years, China has been taking steps to build up its navy,"Aso said, which is being reflected in the East China Sea where the two countries claim a group of islands called Senkaku by Japan and known as the Diaoyu Islands in China. The two sides were engaged in a tense stand-off over the islands earlier this year. To counter this threat from China, Japan has decided to increase its defence budget and much of this would go to building up the Japan’s maritime defences, he said. Against the backdrop of increased maritime tensions in the area, Aso suggested an “alignment of maritime forces and capabilities" among India, Japan, the US and Australia.

In his speech, Aso lauded the start of a dialogue on “maritime issues" in January this year and a bilateral navy navy exercise in Japan last year. “ We should do it more on a regular basis," Aso said offering the “across the board support" government and private sector support from Japan for India’s marine industries and port facilities.

Underlining the common interests between the two countries, Aso said:" What happens in the Western Pacific should affect your interests. What happens in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region) should affect the interests of my country."

“In the seas, in the air space, in outer space, and in the cyber space, India and Japan both care about the freedom of movement," he said adding that Japan needed to enlarge its “mental map to fully embrace India’s role and presence as a global player".

Citing the instance of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal off India’s east coast, Aso said most young Japanese were unaware of these islands but because of their geographical presence, “India is an integral part of South East Asia."

On the economic side, Aso offered to share Japanese expertise in electric power, advanced medical services and technologies.

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Published: 04 May 2013, 09:56 PM IST
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