India - Japan

• India-Japan:
• Intro: The friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilization ties dating back to the visit of Indian monk Bodhisena in 752 AD.
• By Mandal Siddhant of Kautilya, Japan lies in the second concentric circle and is an important ally in realising India's Act East policy.

• Cooperation:
• A test of the reliability of Japan as a friend was witnessed in 1991 when Japan was among the few countries that bailed India out of the BOP crisis.
• In 2014 ties were upgraded to Special strategic and global partnership
• Japan is a partner ISA, Quad
• India-Japan-Australia trilateral
• India japan annual summits, Foreign ministers dialogue, NSA level dialogue , 2+2 ensure regular high-level engagements
• India has remained Japan’s largest receipt of official development aid.
• Civil nuclear deal between both countries.
• Recently defence minister has referred India as the “gravity point in Asia”
• Visit of emperors of Japan in 2013, which shows the importance of India in Japan
• Japan’s unequivocal support to India during  Doklam and Galwan
• Act east forum Provides collaboration between India’s “act East policy” and Japan’s “free and open Indo Pacific vision.”
• Bilateral trade - $18 B in 2018-19
• Japan is third largest source of FDI for India
• Japan is heavily invested in developing India's infrastructure-Mumbai-Ahmadabad high speed rail, Western dedicated freight corridor, Delhi Mumbai industrial corridor, Chennai Bangalore industrial corridor
• Japan has done more for India’s modernization than any other country-PM Modi
• Japan supports make in India, digital India and skill India programs
• creation of a special Japan Plus desk at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to minimize the bureaucratic obstacles in clearing investment projects
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  Shinzo Abe: Japan and India are lynchpin for free and open Indo Pacific. A strong India is in the best interests of Japan
• in the wake of COVID19 India-Japan-Australia have come up with SCRI
• The two countries also planned joint projects in Maldives and Sri Lanka among others to counter Beijing’s influence.
• Only country to develop sensitive north east region
• members of G4 for UNSC reforms
• Partnership city arrangement b/w varanasi and kyoto
• Supports India's membership in APEC
• Coop between Ayushmann Bharat and Japan’s Asia health and well being initiative
• Indo japan $75 B currency swap agreement that would provide a Forex reserve in times of BOP crisis.
• Both countries have signed Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement(ACSA) which will allow them to use each other’s military bases for logistical support. It would help Indian forces to access Japanse bases in Djibouti and Japan can use Indian bases in A&N islands.
• Recently Japan has announced investment worth $42 B in next five years.
• India Japan 2025 vision:
• Coop in Indo pacific
• Seeking the synergy between India’s "Act East” policy and Japan’s "Partnership for Quality Infrastructure”, the two Prime Ministers decided to develop and strengthen reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructures that augment connectivity within India and between India and other countries in the region. 
• reform of the United Nations, climate change as well as terrorism.
• Transfer of technology
• SJ in TIW-
• A multi-polar Asia will really only come about with the participation of Japan
• The real value of Japan is its ability to impact entire sectors of the economy and help create new enterprises and capabilities
• In Japan, India sees a partner committed to a peaceful, open, equitable, stable and rule-based order in the Indo Pacific and beyond

• challenges:
• PM Modi- Indo japan ties are a mile wide but only an inch deep, even after signing CEPA we have not been able to cross $18 B
• Not a single project has been taken off in the India Africa growth corridor
• India hasn't bought any defence equipment in last 10 years though talks for buying US2 amphibian aircraft are under negotiations.
• also the complex interdependence between Japan and china with $300B of bilateral trade, limits Japan’s options in taking as tough actions against China as India expects.
• Recent decision of India on not joining the RCEP has not gone down well in the Japanese administration that viewed India as a key balancer to the hegemonic presence of China in the regional agreement.

• Conclusion :
• with India and Japan having territorial disputes with China in the Himalayas and Senkaku Islands respectively , If japan has to counter China’s uni-polarity in Asia, there is no other natural ally than India.

• Indo-south Korea:
• intro:
• The friendship between India and SK has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilizational ties
• Rabindranath Tagore wrote a poem “ Lamp of the east” in 1929 Writing about Korea’s glorious past and its promising bright future
• during Korean war both sides accepted a resolution sponsored by India and a ceasefire was declared in 1953. KPS Menon was the chairman of UN commission to hold elections in south Korea
• cooperation:
• India has comprehensive economic partnership agreement with South Korea
• Ties were upgraded to special strategic partnership in 2015.
• Sister city agreement between New Delhi and Seoul .
• $21 B of bilateral trade in 2019. Target of achieving $50 B by 2030
• Korea plus initiative launched to promote and facilitate Korean investments in India
• South Korea is a hub of shipping industry.
• Korea has said India is the central pillar of new southern policy and India has said Korea is an indispensable part in act east policy
• Both countries have inked a military logistics pact.
• India has historically been a key advocate for a peaceful Korean peninsula.
• the defence ministers  and the national security advisers of both countries have been meeting regularly to promote their strategic cooperation.
• 3P plus- cooperation through people, prosperity and peace-Moon Jae In
• Hyundai, Samsung and LG have won the confidence of Indian consumers and have become household names across India
• Last year Samsung's biggest plant was established in Noida
• Challenge: Recent decision of India on not joining the RCEP has not gone down well in the Korean administration that viewed India as a key balancer to the hegemonic presence of China in the regional agreement.

• conclusion: India and south Korea show a promising future ahead in the Indo pacific region through synergy between India’ Act East and S Korea's New Southern policy.

• Act east policy-
• Intro:India’s ‘Act East’ policy launched in 2014 is a diplomatic initiative to promote economic, strategic and cultural relations with the vast Asia-Pacific region at different levels. The country’s eastward drive since 1992 has underscored the importance of this region in its contemporary international relations. ‘Act  East’  and its early avatar, ‘Look East’ are not different; rather, they are two sides of the same coin, representing two different, but continuing phases in the evolution of India’s policy towards the Asia-Pacific region. 
• The end of the Cold War in 1991 brought about a major shift in the economic and strategic policies of most countries in Asia; they were compelled to make suitable  policy changes to cope with the  changing economic and  security situations in the region. India was no exception
• the launch in 1992 of the Look East policy was India’s response to the new challenges it faced in the region after the collapse of the Cold War structures.
• Act east involves not just ASEAN but Japan,South Korea, Australia and the whole Indo pacific region.
• While the  initial motive  was predominantly economic, Look East soon acquired strategic dimensions too.
• India has now forged strategic partnerships with Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and Australia. In addition, it has also established close links with countries of the BIMSTEC group of countries and the IOR.
• Defence ties with Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam
• India’s Act East Policy is closely connected with its long-term vision of developing its Northeastern region (NER) which is considered as a gateway to Southeast  Asia. 
• “ASEAN centrality is the thread that weaves India’s Act East policy.” S Jaishankar in his book The India way
• Based on 4Cs
• Culture
• Commerce
• Connectivity
• Capacity building
• Avenues of cooperation:
• East Asia summit
• active participants in ASEAN-led institutions like East Asia Summit, A.D.M.M. Plus and A.R.F.
• Kaladan multi modal project
• India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway
• MGC
• BIMSTEC
• Strengthens our membership for APEC.
• By aligning India’s Act East Policy with the U.S.’s ‘pivot’ to Asia through a Joint Strategic Vision, India seeks to expand its maneuverability and Geo-strategic space. This will help India to counter the growing assertiveness of, as well as foster balanced relations with, China.
• India’s Act East policy has a strong synergy with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific and South Korea’s New Southern Policy. All three recognize the centrality of the ASEAN region and their economic and strategic interests converge in the Indo-Pacific and provide a great opportunity for mutual cooperation.

• Conclusion- The human-kind now looks to the Rising East, with the hope to see the promise that this 21st century beholds for the whole world- PM Modi at shangri-la dialogue