Contemporary issues INDIA - JAPAN

Strategic Collaboration between India and Japan

Convergence on free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Defence and security and in the region. – Quad, AUKUS, MALABAR.
India and Japan signed a Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services Agreement (RPSS).
The inaugural 2+2 ministerial meeting was held in November 2019.
Act East Forum: A decision was taken in the 2017 Summit to establish the India-Japan Act East Forum. The objective is to coordinate developmental projects in North-East India in areas of connectivity, forest management, disaster risk reduction and capacity building.
Northeast development – Upgradation of highways in Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are underway. 20 km-long bridge over the Brahmaputra River between Assam and Meghalaya.
Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) – The Trade and Economy Ministers of India, Japan and Australia launched the (SCRI) on 27 April 2021.

Investment Promotion Partnership 2014: Both have achieved the target of 3.5 trillion Japanese Yen in public and private investments in India.
Industrial collaboration: 1,455 Japanese companies in India. Eleven Japan Industrial Townships (JIT).
FDI: Japan is 5th largest source of FDI, largest supplier of ODA.
Infrastructure projects are underway through Japanese assistance including Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, Dedicated Freight Corridor, metro projects, DMIC etc.
Digital Partnership 2018 Indian start-ups have raised more than USD 10 billion from Japanese VCs. India and Japan have also launched a private sector driven fund-of-funds to invest in technology start-ups in India which has raised USD 100 million.
Cooperation in ICT, in areas such as 5G, under-sea cables, telecom and network security.
Movement of skilled workers: Japan’s population has peaked out its and working age population is reducing. In this respect, India with its surplus labour force can provide workers for Japan’s needs. India and Japan signed MoU on Specified Skilled Workers to promote movement of skilled workers and Japanese language requirement from India to Japan for employment on a contractual basis. The Specified Skills worker program can be strengthened by:

(a) demand supply matching including use of digital platforms for the same

(b) Raising the number of test centers.

(d) Japanese language promotion in India

(e) Setting up of a framework for program monitoring.

(f) focus on north-east India.

Skill Development: Japan-India Institutes of Manufacturing (JIM) now stands at 19. These institutes are established by Japanese companies based in India for training skilled workers.

Collaboration in QUAD, SRI, MALABR Naval exercise with US and other like-minded countries in the Indo–Pacific.
Countering the Chinese assertion – Along the LAC, South China Sea and East China Sea.
Japan’s Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)’ Strategy and India’s ‘Act East’ Policy converge in action in the northeast of India—a bridge between South and Southeast Asia. Ex – Act EAST Forum.
Collaboration through infrastructure development in third countries (in the Indo- Pacific) such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC)—a collaborative effort to soft-balance China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project.

Both believe in upholding freedom of navigation and reinforcing rules-based international order.
Japan supported a waiver of Nuclear Suppliers Group’s (NSG) embargo on nuclear trade with India and backed its application for membership of group.
Joint military exercises have contributed to the image of their rising regional power. JIMEX, MALABAR etc.
Both works closely on global issues such as proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), terrorism, space and cyber security, and environment (e.g., the International Solar Alliance).
Permanent membership of the UNSC – Both are members of G4 club besides Brazil and Germany.