Japan and India are set to boost military and economic ties. But even without a rising China, the two would surely have found each other.
Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna was in Tokyo this weekend, and his message was clear – New Delhi has an eye on closer relations with Japan.
During a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Koichiro Gemba, the two Asian powers appeared to agree on a couple of key points. One is that the United States will be joining Japan and India in a structured, trilateral partnership. But perhaps more interesting than this was the suggestion of greater military co-operation between Asia’s second and third largest economies.
The details of the latter, which will include joint training exercises between Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy, will be thrashed out in the near future, including during Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony’s visit to Japan this week. But even though the specifics aren’t yet clear, these meetings are likely to be viewed with some trepidation by policy makers in Beijing.
Yet there was more to the Krishna-Gemba talks than the tantalizing prospect of closer military co-operation. The two sides have also agreed to work together on developing the rare earth metals vital to Japan’s high tech industries, a resource India possesses in abundance. This agreement will be particularly welcome by the Japanese, as it offers the prospect of being less dependent on China, which demonstrated through its halting of rare earth exports last year that it isn’t afraid to use the metals as a diplomatic tool.
The Japanese government has reportedly removed seven Indian entities, including Indian Rare Earths Limited, from its list of banned entities for high tech co-operation. This will not only eventually result in substantial supplies of rare earths being shipped from India to Japan, but is likely to foster the rapid growth in high tech trade between the two nations.
The other issue big issue is a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that India and Japan have been negotiating since last year. Straws in the wind suggest that the proposed Japan-India civilian nuclear cooperation agreement has been derailed by events at Fukushima in March, and although the issue came up between Krishna and Gemba, there was no breakthrough.
“I also discussed with Foreign Minister Gemba the status of civil nuclear cooperation between our countries. As you are aware, we have had three rounds of negotiations on this subject,” the Hindu reported Krishna as telling reporters. “After my discussions today, I am optimistic on this score.”
Gemba, for his part, said the two sides had agreed to push forward the nuclear deal negotiations, although he added, “I also asked for his (Krishna’s) understanding about the strong feelings held by Japan on nuclear arms reduction and nonproliferation because of its experience as a victim of atomic bombing.”
Photo Credit: Indian External Affairs Ministry
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European imperialist
Funny comments, and the rest of the world is laughing.
yang zi
I missed all the fun about curry. I love Japanese food. Yes, Japanese curry is different from India curry. Japanese curry is more refined and fits my taste bud better.
rajkumar
Those from china, athinking western is trying to conquer u, think again. No one trying for a peace of china. It war china, that took piece of mongolia, gulped down entire tibet, wants piece of russia, and many small soviet nations like kazak, it wants part of india, it wants entire south east countries, wants singapore, wants a whole state of india. Wants taiwan, wants parts of japan, So chinese people, if all these countries formed a union and attack u, what will happen? Yet u are telling china is having very good relations with these countries. U cannot control someone with fear. Soon u ll learn that. Chinese politians are spreading false threats from these countries, so to invoke nationalism in u people, so that u ll not speak or think much about china’s internal problems. So china will stay united. I’m from india, doesn’t want to see china collapse. India was that richest country for 4000 years. British looted everythin from india. Trillions of dollars were looted. But v donot hold grudges. China and india taught wisdom to the entire world. Everything done in china from kungfu to buddhism, came from india. Think about our glorious past, our wisdom. It ll guide us in the future.
yang zi
you are a mirror image of Frank
Rajjkumar
Who is frank? :/
John Wayne
@rajkumar
Interestingly put! A lone Chinese Kungfu guy ganged up by a union, you said, a Japanese Sumo, a Mongolian Wrestler, a Vietnamese uhm .. Street Fighter, a Cambodian Cobra Thrower, a Thai Kick Boxer, an Indonesian Neck Breaker, a Malaysian Ass Kicker, a Filippino Stomach Puncher, a Laotian Leg Breaker and a Singaporean Laser Zipper … I think, that Kungfu Chinese guy will be put in a hospital’s emergency room for at least 6 months with intensive care 24/24 (if lucky, an Indian Buddha might save him from hell, if not… R.I.P.)
Huang
@JW or what ever Indian names you have,
Thats one way to put it base on the dreams you have and the un-healthy hatreds you hold against China. Likewise,dreams of this nature usually embodied fears,jealousies,and the resulted hatreds that followed.
Ironically, where there are dreams,there would certainly be nightmares accompanying the dreamer’s irrational thoughts during the day-time. In this case,Instead of the Kungfu guy in the hospital emergency room,you found yourself crying in pain bacause you fell from the bed while having a nightmare(and again,you blame China for your “little hurt”).
China can be a good friend if you know how to be a good individual. Otherwise,as the saying goes,”evil begets evil”.
So! Don’t be scare.
Reason
Only scoundrels who bear evil thoughts try to project such thoughts to others. Rajkumar seems to be one of them. It is unnecessary to talk about CHina here when the subject is not about China.
John Chan
@a_canadian_observer,
No one is saying Japanese cuisine does not have its attractiveness, but just curry is not Japanese long suit using Indian curry as baseline.
rajkumar
I forgot to mention indonesia. Raja raja cholan conquered it.