Time to go east

There are several reasons why India and Japan should want to work more closely together. Two of the most important just now are a common interest in furthering Asian strategic stability and in developing the potential of information technology for each of their economies. The surprise is that both capitals have taken so long to take the necessary steps towards improving the relationship. Yoshiro Mori8217;s statements during his visit to India, the first by a Japanese prime minister in a decade, indicate clearly that Tokyo intends to get around the twin obstacles of India8217;s nuclear tests and Japan8217;s economic sanctions by setting them to one side, as it were, while Tokyo and New Delhi get on with other matters where progress is not only possible but essential for both countries. India has not advanced from the position it set out a year ago on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; it observes a unilateral moratorium on testing and will not stand in the way of the treaty coming into force. Japan has had to be contentwith that especially since the near fatal blow dealt by the US Congress to the CTBT last year has left very little prospect of movement on the treaty anywhere in the world.

Consequently, Japan has pragmatically softened its stance on economic sanctions now delicately referred to by both sides as 8220;economic measures8221; imposed in 1998 and decided to resume loans for projects approved before Pokharan-II such as the Simhadri power station in Andhra Pradesh and the Delhi Metro. If private sector investment, humanitarian aid and aid to grassroots programmes run by NGOs, all of which continue, are also taken into account, the yen flows are not inconsequential. The decision to begin a security and defence dialogue is welcome in the context of a number of changes in the Asian scenario. There is China, an emerging economic superpower. Although it has been at pains not to project power and alarm its neighbours, the tensions with Taiwan and with some Asian countries over the Spratley and Paracel islands, cause constant concern. Meanwhile America8217;s plans for a National Missile Defence and a Theatre Missile Defence in Asia have got Beijing worried. The scene is set in various ways foraction which could upset the strategic balance. Japan and India can contribute greatly to peace and stability at this time by helping to establish new institutional mechanisms and consolidate existing ones to manage and resolve Asian differences.

It is astonishing that India8217;s brilliant infotech industry has taken so long to discover Japan, the second largest economy in the world. It was Chief Minister S M Krishna who pointed out during Mori8217;s trip to Bangalore the anomalies in India8217;s software trade. While 65 per cent of India8217;s software trade is with the US, he said, only four per cent is with Japan. Happily, that is now going to change. Japan, like Europe and the US before it, is doing its best to attract Indian IT professionals. India and Japan8217;s proposal to establish an IT partnership is an idea with great potential. It should logically embrace telecommunications as well. Time for India8217;s IT industry to go east.