Highlight the important aspects of the recent India-Japan bilateral meet. Also specifically discuss the importance of the civil nuclear deal.
India and Japan have signed several agreements to boost bilateral cooperation between the two nations. India and Japan have always maintained a friendly relation in many fields.
Some of the important issues discussed in the recent bilateral meet are:
- to expand the cooperation among both countries on global challenges such as climate change, countering terrorism and violent extremism, reform of the United Nations (UN) including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
- To deepen civilization links, like the common heritage of Buddhist thought
- To prioritize the rising importance of the Indo-Pacific region as the key drivers for the prosperity of the world.
- To respect the core values of democracy, peace, the rule of law, tolerance, and respect for the environment
- India’s active engagement in the region under the ‘Act East Policy’, and the ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’.
- A synergy between India’s ‘Act East’ Policy and Japan’s ‘Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure’
- to intensify cooperation in high technology, space, clean energy, and energy sector development, infrastructure and smart cities, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, ICT, as well as education and skills development
- Japan’s firm support for initiatives like ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Smart City,’ ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Start-Up India’ by sharing its advanced skills and technologies
- the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project
- the meeting also emphasized the critical importance of human resource development in high-speed rail technology, operation, and maintenance in a planned manner, including India.
The civil nuclear deal:
After years of negotiations, India and Japan have signed the bilateral Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. Japan, has civil nuclear treaties with other countries like US, France, Russia etc, but for the first time, the deal is with a nation which is not a part of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or NPT.
The talks had started back in 2006 but could not be concluded. The cause of delay was political opposition within Japan, on issues like the liability for nuclear accidents, dealing with the spent nuclear fuel, etc. This deal will help India to get continued support from Japan for generation of clean and cheap power. Therefore it is indeed a very big deal for India and one of the most successful ones.
The partnership between the two countries with the meet has deepened their ties in the Asia region. The two countries also concluded to work jointly for strengthening rules-based International order in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.