Bilateral Relations

IAS Parliament 6 years

KEY POINTS

· Indo-Japan ties displays an exceptional warmth in the recent times ranging from development assistance to maritime cooperation, both countries view each other as “special strategic and global partners.”

· Though, it covers a large set of areas for cooperation, it did so on a very shallow level.

· Trade – In 2011, India and Japan began implementing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement; yet seven years later, bilateral trade has yet to hit even the $20 billion mark.

· Third country cooperation – Since early 2010, Japan and India have discussed joint infrastructure projects in third countries, including announcing an Asia-Africa Growth Corridor.

· But not a single project has taken off, including in Myanmar and the Mekong countries where the two share complementary interests.

· Defence – The framework of Indo-Japanese defence ties has grown considerably, including the joint declaration on security cooperation, the action plan to advance such cooperation, a defence equipment transfer agreement, a classified military information security protection agreement, and the ongoing logistical support cooperation talks.

· Yet, 10 years later, the two sides have failed to realise the sale of a single defence article and there exists no conventional threat-specific contingency scenario in which the two militaries can practicably cooperate.

· India and Japan must grapple with the gulf that separates their guiding strategic precepts if they are to transcend the hollow institutionalisation that infects strategic ties.