Japan PM Fumio Kishida: India indispensable for free Indo-Pacific

“As the world is standing at history’s turning point fraught with difficulties, what role should Japan and India play,” said the visiting Japan PM.

While both leaders did not mention the Russian invasion of Ukraine in their public statements, officials said the issue figured prominently during the working lunch after the bilateral meeting. Briefing reporters, Japan’s Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs Noriyuki Shikata said: “Kishida was straightforward…they should not condone any unilateral change of status quo, including in Asia.”

Later, in a speech to unveil Japan’s new plan for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, Kishida said the two countries are “in an extremely unique position in the current international relations” and have a great responsibility towards maintaining and strengthening “a free and open international order based on the rule of law”.

In an oblique reference to China’s zero-Covid policy, he said: “Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, there were no voices at all in either Japan or India that said that a totalitarian system of governance would be better.”

Japan PM Fumio Kishida with Rajeev Chandrasekhar. (PTI)

“I believe that Japan and India are in an extremely unique position in the current international relations and, furthermore, in the history of the world… I have always viewed with great respect the way such a huge and diverse country as India has developed democracy. Japan, for its part, was the first country in Asia to achieve modernisation and embrace democracy. It is fair to say that both countries are naturally receptive to, and fully committed to, the idea of electing governments through general elections and deciding policies through public debate,” Kishida said.

At the same time, he said, the two countries have unique historical backgrounds. “The people of the two countries humbly acknowledge that there are diverse values, cultures and histories on this planet, and that fully understanding them is not an easy task. We are the kind of people who understand intuitively that the best way forward is to respect the other party and cooperate through dialogue,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. (PTI)

Emphasising that India and Japan have a great responsibility towards maintaining and strengthening “a free and open international order based on the rule of law”, he said: “This year, as Japan holds the G7 presidency and India holds the G20 presidency, my hope is that, through working together with ASEAN and many other countries, we will bring about peace and prosperity to the international community, which faces a time of challenges. The vision for achieving this is a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP) based on the rule of law. I believe that this region will be a place where freedom and the rule of law are valued, free from force or coercion.”

Modi, in his statement, echoed Kishida. “Our meeting today is special for another reason as well. This year, India is chairing the G20, and Japan is chairing the G7. And therefore, this is the perfect opportunity to work together on our respective priorities and interests. Today, I explained in detail to Prime Minister Kishida about the priorities of India’s G20 presidency. Giving voice to the priorities of the Global South is an important pillar of our G20 presidency. We have taken this initiative because we are a culture that believes in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), and in taking everyone along,” he said.

Kishida, in his speech later, pointed to the divergences on the Russia-Ukraine war. “One characteristic of this turning point is the lack of a guiding perspective that is acceptable to all about what the international order should be. This was clearly demonstrated by the considerable discrepancies in the attitudes across various countries toward Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. I think this is an indication that a strong centrifugal force is working within the international community at the most basic level of a ‘perspective’,” he said.

“I reiterate that Japan strongly condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and will never recognise it. Prime Minister Modi, too, expressed to President Putin that ‘today’s era is not of war’. Japan opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by force anywhere in the world,” he said. Modi, however, did not mention Russia in his public remarks.

Stressing that the “principles for peace and rules for prosperity” form the backbone of FOIP, Kishida said: “The people who suffer the most from the erosion of the rule of law in the international community are vulnerable countries and people in vulnerable environments. My question is this: Can we not collectively reaffirm and promote the minimum basic principles that the international community should uphold? And by doing so, can we not build the ‘peace’ of the international community, which can easily collapse if not attended to? These principles include respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo by force. These principles pointed to in the UN Charter should be adhered to in every corner of the world.”

Earlier, Modi said they reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations. “We exchanged views on defence equipment and technology collaboration, trade, health and digital partnership. We also had a fruitful discussion on the importance of reliable supply chains in semiconductor and other critical technologies. Last year, we had set a target of Japanese investment of 5 trillion yen in India in the next five years, that is, Rs 3,20,000 crore. It is a matter of satisfaction that there has been good progress in this direction,” he said.

Kishida said he had invited Modi for the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, and the invitation was “immediately accepted”. “I am looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Modi to Hiroshima in May and visiting India again in September,” he said. He also welcomed the “concrete progress” in security cooperation.

On economic cooperation, Modi said the India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership was set up in 2019. “Under this, we are increasing the competitiveness of Indian industry in areas such as logistics, food processing, MSME, textiles, machinery and steel,” he said.

“We are also progressing fast on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail. I am also happy that we are celebrating 2023 as the year of tourism exchange. And for this we have chosen the theme ‘Connecting Himalayas with Mount Fuji’,” Modi said.

A Japanese Embassy statement said the two leaders welcomed the signing of a 300-billion-yen loan for the construction of the high-speed rail project. They also confirmed that they would continue cooperation on the development of India’s Northeast, through the Japan-India Act East Forum.

“PM Kishida noted the steady progress made in the construction of facilities at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, through Japanese ODA loan and expressed hope that this will lead to further bilateral exchanges of teachers and students, as well as opportunities of IT-related Indian talents to work at Japanese companies. The two leaders also concurred to consider increasing the number of Indian students studying in Japan, and to promote tourism exchanges by designating the year 2023 as the Japan-India tourism exchange year,” it said.

Kishida arrived on Monday morning, paid tribute at Rajghat and held bilateral talks with Modi. He will leave on Tuesday morning.