Let economics be bedrock of our ties: PM in Tokyo

Unlike Atal Behari Vajpayee, who addressed the Diet five years ago, Singh talked of specifics. In December 2001, when India was still bearing the impact of sanctions attracted by the Pokhran nuclear tests and on the backfoot against Japan, Vajpayee spoke of all the “commonalities and convergences” between two the countries.

So did Singh today. But while Vajpayee was still reaching out to Japan and convincing them to forge a long-term partnership by looking “at each other through untinted glasses”, Singh today said how trade must be central to bilateral ties and “to exploit the full potential of our economic cooperation, we need strong efforts by our two governments, business and industry”.

Keeping Japanese business interest in mind, India had declared yesterday that it was open to the Japanese proposal of converting the Delhi-Mumbai freight route into an industrial corridor.

And today, during their bilateral meetings ahead of the Diet speech, the Indian government also asked Japan to fund the second phase of the Delhi Metro that needs Rs 14,000 crore, according to commerce secretary GK Pillai.

In fact, the confident tone was reciprocal. Speaking at the Festival of India function later in the day, Shinzo Abe said this relationship with India was “historic” and Japan saw it “as the most important bilateral relationship in the world”.

PM Singh went beyond bilateral relationships and instead of seeking just more FDI, said, “I invite Japanese companies to expand their presence in India.”

“Prime Minister Abe and I will launch negotiations that will lead to a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to encourage greater flows of trade, investment and technology between our two countries,” Singh said.

Even on the sensitive issue of nuclear cooperation, there was a marked change from five years back. Singh categorically said during his speech that like Japan, India saw “nuclear power as a viable and clean energy source” and even sought “Japan’s support in helping put in place innovative and forward-looking approaches of the international community to make this possible”.

Vajpayee had said Japan should “comprehend our decisions (of the nuclear test) in the context of our

geographical location”.

Singh, however, added: “I would like to submit that India’s commitment to work for nuclear disarmament remains unshakable.”

All through the ‘90s, China has been a preferred destination for Japanese investments, but Singh today played the democracy card to the Diet and said “never before in human history have over a billion people tried to banish poverty and modernise their society and economy within the framework of a plural, functioning democracy”.

The time has, thereafter, “come for our two ancient civilizations to build a strong contemporary relationship involving strategic and global partnership” and the “most important area in which we can build this partnership is in the field of knowledge economy”.

Japan’s trade with India in 2005 added up to a mere $6.3 billion, a minuscule 4% of its trade with political rival China.