NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!   Books     Music       Apparel   Jewellery   Flowers   More..      Safe Shopping

India, Japan looking for increased security co-operation

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

"We attach great importance to this visit," Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh told the press at a briefing in New Delhi as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori arrived in Bangalore on Monday to begin a four-day state visit to India.

Mansingh pointed out that India and Japan shared, besides an Asian identity, civilisational values, cultural links over millennia, and economic links in modern times.

"Prime Minister Mori's visit is a testimony of India's increased importance in the world today," the foreign secretary said.

Mori's visit comes after almost the entire phalanx of leaders from the Western world has touched down in India, starting with United States President Bill Clinton.

After the nuclear tests of May 1998, Japan had clamped economic sanctions on India. But the frosty ties between the two nations began to thaw last year when External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh visited Tokyo. Defence Minister George Fernandes followed him, the first Indian defence minister to visit Japan. Fernandes did that not once but twice over the past year. Jaswant Singh also met Mori during the ARF summit recently.

Mansingh said Mori's visit would help strengthen bilateral ties in the areas of economy, security, and science and technology. But he admitted that no deal would be signed, though joint declarations would be made.

Mori will spend 24 hours in Bangalore and reach Delhi on Tuesday evening. His Delhi visit officially begins on the morning of August 23 with a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

When it was pointed out that Mori, who flew in to Bangalore from Islamabad, had said he would ask India and Pakistan to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, he replied that India would be guided by its own security concerns in signing the CTBT. "Our position on signing the CTBT remains the same. We are evolving a domestic consensus and will decide only after that," he said.

He admitted that Japanese economic sanctions, imposed in the wake of India's nuclear tests, remain and added that he could not predict whether any of these would be lifted following Mori's visit. "Our view is that economic sanctions do not serve any purpose. India has shown strong economic growth despite the sanctions," he said.

Tokyo, India's largest aid donor, had cut all bilateral aid and even stopped multilateral aid to the country immediately after the nuclear tests. But it has now softened its position by allowing multilateral loans and grants, especially those by the Asian Development Bank, to be made to India. Bilateral grants remain a strict no-no.

Another tricky issue between India and Japan is the question of permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. Both India and Japan have claimed a slot. "At this stage, it is too early for us to say whether we will support Japan's candidature. As for our candidature, we are seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council and will seek Japan's support," said Mansingh.

It is expected that Mori's visit will boost economic and security ties. Indo-Japan economic ties stand at $4.56 billion. India is keen to get more investment from Japan, the world's second largest economy. Japan's GDP is around $4 trillion.

"We remain keen to get Japanese technology," said Mansingh, "and now they are keen to get a share of India's infotech boom. This might help improve trade relations and we hope that more Japanese investment will flow to India," he said.

While Mansingh was chary of predicting whether Mori's visit would help ease the economic sanctions, other officials said they did expect some improvement. "Already, Japan has allowed multilateral loans and grants, and will soon agree to bilateral loans. Bilateral grants will take some time though," they said.

Another area of growing interest to both countries is the nascent but increasing security relations, which both sides play down. Indian Navy ships are to undertake a goodwill visit to Japan next month, while India has invited the Japanese Navy to participate in joint exercises.

Sources in the external affairs ministry pointed out that India and Japan, both of whom are dependent on the shipping lanes to meet their huge energy requirements, are keen on working together on patrolling the seas. Earlier this year, the Indian Navy had apprehended a pirate ship that had sought to hijack an oil tanker, a move that was much appreciated in Tokyo.

All of Japan's awesome petroleum requirements are shipped from the Persian Gulf via the Malacca Straits. Tokyo is interested that the shipping lanes remain open in all circumstances.

"Japan and India both want the sea lanes open, and they pass through the Indian Ocean, where our navy is pre-eminent. This is one area of co-operation that has huge potential, and the very fact that Fernandes visited Japan twice in quick succession shows that something is brewing on this subject," said the sources.

The sources admitted that it was too early for joint patrols of the sea lanes and pointed out that New Delhi was chary of defence alliances. Nevertheless, there were common interests that could be exploited.

"Let us see what the two sides agree on during Mori's talks with the Indian ministers," said the sources.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report