With a multi-pronged bilateral agenda that includes dialogues on comprehensive economic partnership, collaboration in hi-tech research and India’s nuclear energy needs, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in the capital on Tuesday morning. He is accompanied by an unprecedented 200-member delegation comprising heads of top Japanese companies. Japanese sources told The Indian Express that though Japan fully understands India’s energy needs, it can’t take the lead in backing India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) forum. However, the source said that as support for India grows around the world, Japan would endeavour to join in.Stressing that the Japanese people are extremely sensitive to the issue of nuclear weapons proliferation, the official indicated that Japan will have an independent debate in its Parliament on India’s bid to develop nuclear capability for its energy requirements. “On this, we want to start a debate from a neutral standpoint,” the official said.Interestingly, the Japanese business delegation has top officials from Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Toshiba, key players in the global nuclear power business. The Japanese would be looking to drive home their strengths in the n-energy space — an area where Japan and France are the world leaders, the official said.Clearing China’s concerns (which have also been echoed by India’s Communist parties) on the recently initiated quadrilateral dialogue among the US, India, Japan and Australia, the official said it was not an “anti-China” dialogue but a dialogue at a very nascent stage among four countries who share the same “basic values” and have the same “economic perspective”. Arguing that it is similar to the multiple Asian fora like ASEAN and East Asia Summit, the official said if China wants to participate, it has to enhance “liberal values, freedom and democracy”.Addressing a public meeting this evening, Abe said, “In the three years since Manmohan Singh has been in office, Japan-India relations have grown by leaps and bounds. Investments have quadrupled, while bilateral trade has doubled.” Stressing that Asia’s largest (Japan) and third largest (India) economies should work closely together for the region’s development, Abe said an early conclusion of economic partnership agreement negotiations, official development assistance for India’s infrastructure and strengthening linkages between the two countries’ businessmen are on top of the agenda. Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh didn’t directly mention the N-word during Abe’s first public interaction this evening, he did mention, in response to a query from Nippon Steel President Akio Mimora, climate change and energy efficiency. “India has a responsibility to its people and the world at large to have an energy efficient development path,” he said.Appreciating Abe’s initiatives on countering climate change, Manmohan Singh said that differences in levels of development shouldn’t be overlooked in per capita terms. “Our carbon emissions are one of the lowest in the world,” he said, replying to questions from the visiting delegation, along with Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath. “As per the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) figures for the first quarter of this year, Japan was the second largest investor in India,” Nath said, adding that the negotiations on the India-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement have moved faster than any other bilateral agreement.
