China has brought India, Japan closer

[jaiind]

Professor Katsuyuki Yakushiji is with the Toyo University in Japan. He was recently in India and is a highly respected name in foreign policy. He had previously served as Editorial Writer of the Asahi Shimbun and Chief Editor of the monthly magazine RONZA and Chief Editor of Political News Department.

In 2002 he became a visiting fellow at the Henry L Stimson Center in Washington DC and has been Visiting Professor of Kyoto University since 2006. He has written several books which include Oral History of Murayama Tomiich, Testimony- Inner Politics of the Democratic Party and A Political History of Contemporary Japan. In an e-mail interview with SIMRAN SODHI, he dwells on the state of Indo-Japan relations and the changing geopolitics of the region.

How do you view the recent meeting in New York of the leaders of the G4 to push for UN reforms? Do you think permanent membership of the Security Council is a realistic expectation for the G4 nations?

I don’t think so. I appreciate the G4 summit meeting to reform the UN Security Council. And I think the reform is essential to stabilise the international order. But it is very difficult because G4 neighbour countries and even the P5 countries are against the reforms. The German government is not so active, Japanese people are not interested in it. I think now we have lost the momentum.

How worried are you about the rise of China?

I think the rise of China has two aspects. One is positive and the other is negative. China became the second largest economic power in the world and contributed to the world economy. But at the same time the Chinese government continued the challenge to change the current international order, the political system, financial system, trade system, military system and international laws. It means a challenge against the American system which was established after WW II and causes serious friction with many countries. The military challenge especially means a threat to the ASEAN countries and Japan.

We should focus on the many contradictions or difficulties inside China, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the widespread pollution, the corruption and so on. We should not expect the Chinese to fail. We should cooperate with China to solve these problems.

Do you think China’s growing stature has brought India and Japan closer?

I agree. PM Abe and US President Obama cooperate on foreign policy to contain China. And the Japan-US alliance plays an important role to deter the expansion of Chinese military actions. At the same time India faces the String of Pearls Policy by China. To strengthen the Japan-US-Asian countries connection and keep the balance of power, I think the role of India is essential, not only from the viewpoint of security policy but also the economy. Close Japan-India relations should be inevitable to keep this area stable. So the Japanese government is trying to improve relations with India.

A lot has been written about the great personal chemistry between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe. Do you think that personal chemistry helps strengthen the diplomatic process?

Generally speaking a relationship of mutual trust has a good effect on diplomacy. PM Modi visited Japan as his first destination for a bilateral visit outside neighbouring countries. So for many Japanese people the first impression of your new PM was very good and he succeeded in building a good relationship with PM Abe.

Japanese firms have invested more in countries like Vietnam and Indonesia than India. What is holding Japanese firms back from investing in India?

I’m sorry I don’t know much about the behavior of Japanese firms in India.

The recently held US, India and Japan trilateral dialogue in New York has reiterated a joint commitment to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region. Is this a coming together to counter China?

I think so. The Japanese government is very nervous about the actions of the Chinese navy in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. China has been violating international laws for many years and spreading its area of operation. So Japan and the US believe cooperation with India, Australia and other Asian countries is essential to deter Chinese military action.

Are you hopeful of the Indo-Japan civil nuclear cooperation deal going forward?

I heard the Japanese government is considering PM Abe’s visit to India at the end of this year or early next year to discuss the Agreement for Cooperation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. If he visits India he will also want to discuss cooperation on the security policy to face the military expansion of China.

What are some of the areas on which both India and Japan need to focus on to further strengthen the bilateral relationship?

As I said, the most important issue is security policy, and the second should be about the economic field. But I think the interaction of the people is more important to understand each other, for example to increase exchange of university students or tourists. I believe the development of our bilateral relations has infinite possibilities to realise the two nations’ prosperity, wealth, economic growth and safety. These answers are the opinions of Prof. Yakushiji and do not represent the official view of the institution he belongs to.