TOWARDS AN ENDURING PARTNERSHIP

NINAD D SHETH explains how India and Japan are edging closer in the face of the looming Chinese challenges in the Indo-Pacific

- NINAD D SHETH

The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the G7 summit underlined a bilateral dimension conclave in Hiroshima - the growing synergy between New Delhi and Tokyo. Two of the largest and most vibrant democracies in Asia are coming together strategically. Japan is increasing economic investments in India and militarily the relationship is witnessing increased cooperation.

The two countries increasingly share a common interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. In recent years, they have striven to deepen their defence cooperation to better address common security challenges.

The Abe effect

This has been an evolutionary process that underwent momentum when the late Shinzo Abe was Japan’s Prime Minister. Abe was a strong advocate for closer defence cooperation between India and Japan. He believed that the two countries shared common security interests and that they could work together to deter threats from China. In many ways, Abe was ahead of his time and can be called the true architect of the strategic content of this important emerging international engagement.

In 2007, Abe visited India and proposed the creation of a "special strategic and global partnership" between the two countries. This partnership was formalized in 2016 with the signing of a joint declaration.