India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

Context India-Japan Relations:

On August 20, 2024, the third India-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting was held in New Delhi. Participants included the Minister of Defense of Japan, Mr. KIHARA Minoru, Foreign Affairs of Japan, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, and the Minister of Defense of India, Shri Rajnath Singh.

Background: 2+2 Dialogue

• 2+2 meetings are high-level diplomatic discussions between two nations’ ministers of defence and foreign policy.
• India has had two-way discussions with the US, Russia, the UK, Japan, Australia, Brazil, and other countries.
• The first India-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting took place in New Delhi on November 30, 2019.
• The foreign and defence ministers of Japan and India convened for their third “2+2” dialogue recently.

History of India-Japan Relations:

• It is believed that the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth century marked the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• The Japanese people have a strong connection to India because of the significant influence that Indian culture, as mediated through Buddhism, has had on their society. Hindu traditions are the origins of the Shichifukujin, or the seven lucky gods of Japan.
• An Indian monk named Bodhisena performed the consecration or eye-opening of the imposing statue of Lord Buddha at the Todaiji Temple in Nara in 752 AD, marking one of the first known instances of direct communication with Japan.
• Among the notable Indians connected to Japan in modern times were Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, JRD Tata, Rash Behari Bose, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the Nobel laureate, and Justice Radha Binod Pal.
• India chose to establish diplomatic ties with Japan on April 28, 1952, by signing a separate Peace Treaty, instead of attending the San Francisco Conference following World War II.
• There has been friendly relations between the two nations ever since diplomatic contacts were established. Iron ore from India was a major factor in Japan’s post-World War II recovery from the destruction caused by the war. After Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi visited India in 1957, Japan began lending India yen in 1958—the first time the Japanese government had done so.

Current Relations:

• The Japan-India relationship gained momentum during Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori’s August 2000 visit to India. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the prime minister, and Mr Mori resolved to form a “Global Partnership between Japan and India”.
• During an official visit to Japan in November 2016, Prime Minister Modi met with Prime Minister Abe at a summit. During Prime Minister Modi’s October 2018 visit to Japan, the two leaders released the Japan-India Vision Statement, which reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to cooperating towards a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.’’
• The two countries will be the G7 and G20 presidents, respectively, in 2023. The two leaders agreed to further strengthen Japan-India relations and reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating on a range of global concerns.
• The India-Japan-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) and the Japan-2 Australia-India-U.S. Quad framework are two other areas of cooperation between India and Japan.

Collaboration in the Security Domain:

• “The Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation between Japan and India” was issued by two leaders in October 2008, during Prime Minister Singh’s visit to Japan.
  •The “Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement,” or ACSA, was signed on September 9, 2020, by the governments of the Republic of India and Japan. It deals with the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the Indian Armed Forces and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The ACSA became operative on July 11, 2021.

Economic Relations:

• In 2021, India ranked 18th among Japan’s economic partners, while Japan ranked 13th among India’s commercial partners.
• In FY2021, Japan ranked as the fifth-largest investor in India. India has been the greatest beneficiary of Japanese ODA loans over the past few decades. The Japanese private sector’s interest in India is growing; as of 2021, 1,439 Japanese companies had branches there. One of the best instances of Japanese collaboration through the use of ODA is Delhi Metro.
• Japan is still working together to strengthen the strategic connectivity that connects Southeast Asia and South Asia by combining the “Act East” policy and the “Partnership for Quality Infrastructure.”
  
• Japan and India pledged to construct a high-speed railway system in India by introducing Japan’s Shinkansen System, the main initiative promoting their bilateral relations.
• Loan amount: FY 2022: 567.5 billion yen
• Funds awarded: 0 billion yen (FY 2022)
• FY 2022 Technical Cooperation: 5.7 billion yen

Cultural Relations:

• 2012 was the 60th anniversary of Japan and India establishing diplomatic relations. Many cultural events were held in both India and Japan under the theme of “Resurgent Japan, Vibrant India: New Perspectives, New Exchanges,” in an effort to promote understanding between the two countries.
• To further strengthen people-to-people connections between Japan and India, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abe announced 2017 as the Year of Japan-India Friendly connections during his visit to Japan in November 2016. 2017 also commemorated the 60th anniversary of the 1957 signing of the Cultural Agreement. Both nations held a variety of commemorative events.
• Japan will commemorate its anniversaries with India and the other seven Southwest Asian nations in 2022. To strengthen ties with the nations of Southwest Asia, Japan has declared 2022 to be the “Japan-Southwest Asia Exchange Year.”

India-Japan Diaspora :

As of October 2023, there were 8,197 Japanese nationals living in India.
As of July 2023, there were 46,262 Indian nationals living in Japan.

Important Points of the Third 2+2 Dialogue Between Japan and India:

• The Ministers reaffirmed their full support for the “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP),” which upholds values like openness, transparency, inclusivity, a rules-based framework, and respect for international law. They also reaffirmed their strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality. The Ministers valued their cooperation in the Quad and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing it further based on the discussion at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo on July 29, 2024.
• Women, Peace, and Security (WPS): Japan and India endorsed the WPS agenda and emphasized the importance of women in peacekeeping operations.

The WPS Agenda is an international framework designed to improve women’s involvement in peace processes and address the gendered effects of conflict. The UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, which was adopted in 2000, formalized this agenda by highlighting the vital responsibilities that women play in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution, and post-conflict recovery.

• The Ministers acknowledged that the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership relies heavily on this kind of cooperation and welcomed the opportunity to further strengthen their bilateral security and defense cooperation in the wake of Japan’s December 2022 release of its National Security Strategy.
• The Ministers expressed satisfaction over the advancements made since their September 2022 meeting to foster collaboration on cross-cutting security issues through the framework of multiple dialogues between the two nations, including the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism between India and Japan, the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), the Defense Policy Dialogue, the Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Dialogue, the Vice Minister/Foreign Secretary level Dialogue, the Cyber Dialogue, and other regional consultations on hot-button and emerging issues.
• The Ministers backed initiatives aimed at promoting interpersonal interactions that enhance our strategic alliance. They understood the importance of India’s plan to open a new consulate in Fukuoka in this regard. They also expressed their happiness about September’s commemoration of Japan Month in India and India Month in Japan.
• Tarang Shakti: The Indian Air Force is holding Ex Tarang Shakti, the largest-ever multinational air combat exercise, at its Sulur airbase in Tamil Nadu. The objective is to demonstrate its military prowess and bolster global collaboration. This exercise, which was strategically crucial, involved about eleven different countries and a wide variety of aircraft, such as F-18s, Eurofighters, and Rafales. Ex Tarang Shakti is an exercise intended to showcase India’s Indigenous defence capabilities and strengthen defence ties with participating nations.
• This exercise’s initial phase began on this month’s sixth and is set to end tomorrow. Air Force Station Jodhpur will host the second part of the exercise from August 29 to September 14, 2023.
• The Ministers expressed their gratitude for the cooperation’s successful conclusion in the fields of robotics and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV). They were grateful for the advancements made in the early signing of associated agreements and the transfer of related technologies, including the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN).
• The Ministers conveyed their contentment with the findings of the seventh Joint Working Group on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation between Japan and India. They agreed to step up future collaboration in defense technology and equipment.
• The Ministers greeted the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and the Indian Naval Force and discussed potential future collaboration in the field of ship maintenance in India.The 2008 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation between Japan and India was intended to be updated and revised by the Ministers to take into account current security concerns and objectives.

Remark:

With Japanese assistance, Captain Mohan Singh established the first Indian National Army (INA) in 1942 to fight for Indian prisoners of war’s (POWs) freedom from British domination. By December 1942, it had been dissolved due to disagreements with the Japanese Army.
•Subhas Chandra Bose brought together Indian volunteers and former INA troops to form the Azad Hind Fauj in July 1943.

Key Information About Japan:  

• Japan is an island country in East Asia. It’s situated in the Pacific. Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa are the five main islands that make up this archipelago, together with another 4,000 smaller ones.
• Japan is located east of China, Russia, North and South Korea, and the Sea of Japan. It extends from Taiwan and the East China Sea in the south to the Sea of Okhotsk in the north.
• The term “sun-origin” is implied by the kanji that comprise Japan’s name, which is why the country is occasionally called the “Land of the Rising Sun”.
• It is mountainous, with Mount Fuji being the highest peak and the Japanese Alps descending Honshu.
• There are around 200 volcanoes throughout the nation, and earthquakes occur often. It is situated near the Ring of Fire’s western boundary.
• Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The Emperor is the ceremonial head of state and head of the Imperial Family

Way Forward :

• India emphasized that the “2+2” discussion should be centered on the future. Global events and shifts in capabilities since their previous encounter in Tokyo two years ago call for readjusting their partnership.

The statement reiterated the idea that the foundation of the India-Japan cooperation is democracy and respect for the rule of law. India and Japan are strengthening their bilateral ties, especially in light of the challenges to regional security.

Both countries are dedicated to preserving a stable and open environment in the face of geopolitical complexity, and the Indo-Pacific region continues to be a crucial arena for cooperation.

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