India & Japan currently have a “Special Strategic and Global Partnership”.
New Delhi accords this status to no other partner.
However, it largly falls short of a full fledged alliance.
Why did India confer such a status?
Geopolitics - The rise of China and doubts about USA’s commitments in Asia has pushed both the countries towards this relationship.
Economic Aspect - Japan is investing heavily in Indian projects.
The two countries are also working on a joint infrastructure development and connectivity drive traversing the Indian Ocean.
Their projects span from Myanmar to Sri Lanka to Iran and encompass the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor.
Defence – Indo-Japan joint naval exercises are being regularly organised together with the U.S. Navy.
Major arms deals like the ShinMaywa US-2i amphibious aircraft are on the cards.
Japanese investments in the strategically places like the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is also likely to help India enhance its security sentinals.
How is this different from an alliance?
Alliances have lacked their relevance in the post-cold war era and strategic partnerships have increasingly become the norm.
Lacking commitment - Unlike alliances, strategic partnerships don’t demand commitments to a partner’s disputes with other countries.
New Delhi does not take a strong position on Japan’s territorial disputes with China and Russia.
Likewise, Tokyo does not openly side with India in its quarrels with China and Pakistan.
Strategic partnership involves countries retaining their unconstrained diplomatic flexibility while continuing political engagement & economic cooperation.
Collaborative Approach – It also involves regular high-level interactions over a range of activities whereas an alliance is usually more pronounced in for defense & economy.
India and Japan are not only moving forward on economic and defence cooperation but are also cooperating on issues such as civil nuclear energy and UN reform.
It is also essential in the present times where states find themselves interdependent, even if their relationship is characterised by strategic tension.
e.g. India might confront China at Doklam but it also wants Chinese investment.
