India and Japan's growing synergy: From a political to a strategic focus

Asian Survey

Volumn 48, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 282-302

  Ghosh, Madhuchanda ^a  

^a JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY   (India)

Author keywords

India; Japan; Security; Strategic interests; Strategic relationship

Indexed keywords

BILATERAL AGREEMENT; POLITICAL RELATIONS; POST-COLD WAR; STRATEGIC APPROACH;

ASIA; EURASIA; FAR EAST; INDIA; JAPAN; SOUTH ASIA;

EID: 43849102314     PISSN: 00044687     EISSN: 1533838X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1525/as.2008.48.2.282     Document Type: Article

References (59)

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2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, "Japan-India Summit Meeting (Summary)," August 23, 2000, , accessed July 30, 2006.
3. While a "political relationship" essentially focuses on strengthening the political dialogue between two countries, a "strategic relationship" adds a different dimension to bilateral relations. The meaning of a "strategic relationship" between India and Japan was elucidated by the Japanese Foreign Minister Ikeda Yukihiko during his visit to India in 1997. According to Ikeda, a "strategic relationship" between Indin and Japan should not be construed only as a defense relationship but rather it would also mean facilitating a common diplomatic and economic response toward stability in the region and the world. Quoted in Sanjana Joshi, "Prospects for Security Cooperation Between India and Japan," Strategic Analysis 23:2 (May 2001), pp. 185-96.
4. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, "India-Japan Relations after Pokhran II," , accessed July 30, 2006.
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7. Author's interview with Mori Yoshiro, former prime minister of Japan, Tokyo, June 22, 2006.
8. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, "Japan-India Partnership in a New Asian Era: Strategic Orientation of Japan-India Global Partnership," April 22, 22005, , accessed August 16, 2006.
9. Siddharth Srivastava, "India Gives a Wink to Japan," Asia Times, June 15, 2006, , accessed August 3, 2006.
10. For details, see Ministry of External Affairs of India, "Joint Statement, Visit of Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Defense to Japan," May 215, 2006, , accessed August 3, 2006.
11. Pranab Mukherjee changed his ministerial portfolio to minister of external affairs in October 2006.
12. It needs to be noted that proximity is also growing between India and Japan in the multilateral arena. A good exqmple of this is the fact that the two countries have vociferously supported each other's candidature for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. At the regional level, Japan also supported India's inclusion in the East Asia Summit in 2005, which reflects their strong mutual political interests.
13. Sea lanes of communication are the maritime highways of vast trade flows and naval shipping. The security of and access to SLOCs are of increasing importance because of the great dependence of international trade on the regional SLOCs, particularly the Southeast Asian waterways. The Southeast Asian SLOCs have strategic significance for both merchant and naval shipping because they connect the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, Ocean.
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40. Author's interview with the former Indian ambassador to Japan, Arjun Asrani, New Delhi, May 20, 2007.
41. The Economic Partnership Agreement would help facilitate Japanese investment to India, enhance freer trade between the two countries, and improve cooperation in the financial services sector. For details, see "Joint Statement Toward Japan-India Strategic and Global Partnership" (Tokyo) December 1.5, 2006, , accessed December 20, 2006.
42. See the speech by former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, "Confluence of the Two Seas," August 22, 2007, website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, .
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49. Japan's yen loans to China consist of three categories: ODA loans, grant aid, and technical assistance. The sanctions afeccted only the grant aid category of the yen loans.
50. Author's interview with Dr. G. V C. Naidu of the institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, May 22, 2007.
51. Author's interview with the former Japanese ambassador to India and China, Tanino Sakutaro, Tokyo,. May 30, 2006.
52. Author's interview with the former Indian ambassador to the U.S., Lalit Mansingh, New Delhi, May 21, 2007.
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55. The NSG is a community of nuclear supplier countries created in 1974, which seeks to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by implementing guidelines for the export of nuclear-related material and technology. For details, see .
56. Madhur Singh, "PM's Diet Address Puts Nuclear Issue in Sharp Relief," Hindustan Times (New Delhi), December 14, 2006.
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58. Buzan Barry and Ole Waever, Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security (London: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
59. The former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo made this statement, while inaugurating the India-Japan Friendship Year 2007 as quoted in Hindu (Chennai), December 16, 2006. .