Since 2006, the Prime Ministers of India and Japan have exchanged visits for their “annual summit”, a meeting that has furthered this bilateral relationship. However, it was not the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership that was at the center Mission of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Delhi during his quick “official visit” this week, His focus was on two areas: coordinating the G-7 and G-20 agenda on food and energy security issues arising primarily from the Ukraine conflict, and the unveiling of Japan’s $75 billion. Plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)Working with countries in the region to avoid debt traps, build infrastructure, and enhance maritime and air security. Mr. Kishida appeared to stress the need for a global consensus, especially including India, to deal with the challenges posed by Russia and China, where Japan is aligning with Western powers. In talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Kishida is understood to have been “straight” about the need for India as G-20 chair, with the G-7 planning to address the Ukraine issue and calling “Russian aggression” to come on board. While he did not directly name China, it is clear that Chinese actions in its neighborhood have Japan worried, and India an “indispensable partner” in his FOIP plan. His visit was also timed to coincide with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow. And, as Mr. Xi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a show of strength, Mr. Kishida went to Kiev to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his first such visit since the start of the war.
For New Delhi, which has close ties with Tokyo, both bilaterally and in the form of multilateral cooperation (the Quad), Mr. Kishida was a welcome guest. There are several collaborations between the two countries including a Japanese loan for the much-delayed “bullet train” project, and plans to work on infrastructure projects to connect Bangladesh and India’s northeast. As Chairs of the G-7 and G-20, the two countries have much to achieve in synchronizing priorities and ensuring that the Global South receives its fair share of the outcomes of both summits. An end to the Ukraine war and a pushback against China’s aggression in its neighborhood are also common goals. However, it would be wrong to assume that they share the same position on them. Unlike India, Japan is part of the US alliance. Japan has also joined the sanctions against Russia, while India has declined to do so. India has been vocal about its concerns over China’s actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), but has been reticent in directly criticizing China’s actions in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, etc. Shri Modi is set to visit Hiroshima as part of the G-7. Special invitee in May, and later hosting Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, any change in New Delhi’s tight balancing act on geopolitical issues would seem a stretch, even with a darling like Japan. Even at the behest of the partner.
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