Globally, the way the world is functioning is two-fold: one is the bipolar world, which has moved from its original players of the US and USSR to the US and China, and the other way the world is perceived is the multipolar world, where countries have moved a step ahead from bilateral relations to trilateral relations and are looking at as many countries participating and collaborating with one another.Within these realms of relationships, India and Japan have maintained their cooperation and blossomed together from initial historical and diplomatic relations to developing economic aspirations and finally, looking at domains of security and defense relations. One of the key reasons that most scholars feel that India and Japan have become closer is because of the China factor. Though China is one of the factors for stronger security and defense relations, there are other reasons, like strengthening maritime cooperation, collaborating on joint military exercises, and working on technological development.
The 1990s was the pivotal period of the security and defense relations between India and Japan, as it was in this period that India had helped Japan in anti-piracy operations when a Japanese vessel, MV Alondra Rainbow, had been hijacked in the South China Sea, and India had helped Japan rescue that vessel. It was also a period when India and Japan were looking at cooperating with many countries in Southeast Asia as efforts were being made. China’s economic growth paved the way for military might, and so, with China’s greater influence in the Indian Ocean, East China Sea, and South China Sea, India and Japan had been wary of China’s maneuvering in these areas, as both had their own interests, and it was a matter of security and sovereignty as well. And so, India and Japan witnessed the Global Partnership in the 21st century, and this was followed by a Japan-India Military-to-Military Consultation in 2001, which led to high-level dialogue and interactions, and years later, these high-level dialogues again took place in the form of the 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting. In the aspect of interactions, several joint military exercises took place, like the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) and the MALABAR Exercise, Dharma Guardian, and Veer Guardian, which eventually take place yearly and are a sign of joint training and cooperation between the forces.
In the domain of frameworks aimed at security and defense, April 2005 laid the path for an eight-fold initiative for security and defense and focused on maritime security, as both India and Japan felt the need to work together in this sector. This effort to strengthen maritime security gained support with the iconic speech Confluence of Two Seas by late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which highlighted the broader Asia concept and the importance of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, which aimed for the rules-based international order with the like-minded countries. Another framework that highlighted the importance of India and Japan’s security and defense relations was the 2008 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, which focused on aspects of sea lanes of communication, disarmament, and counterterrorist activities, and later in 2014, greater emphasis was put on maritime security and maritime-related aspects like information sharing and maritime domain awareness. As India reinvigorated its policies of Look East to Act East, a stronger relationship between India and Japan developed, and so by 2015, two key agreements on Defense Equipment and Technology Cooperation and Security of Classified Military Information were concluded.Later, the 2020 Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) took place, where the settlement procedures for the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Indian Armed Forces took place. Last year, another key development took place that opened a different avenue between India and Japan, which was the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) masts technology, which would help co-develop and co-produce technology for naval ships and help in the integration of communication systems and support the stealth capabilities.
Challenges
Japan adopted a pacifist constitution, which limits Japan’s offensive military role, and Japan can also participate in the domain of humanitarian operations as per Article 9. Though, there have been several debates about how Japan needs to ratify its Article 9 and look at other options, but Japan’s Article 9 also gives it protection from the US security umbrella. India, on the other hand, has remained non-aligned and has been supporting its efforts in the domain of strategic autonomy. India and Japan are heavily dependent on China economically, and so both countries are following a cooperation and conflict approach towards China in the present global scenario.
Potential Areas of Cooperation
The Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICRON) masts technology has paved the way for greater development in co-producing and co-developing technological assets and thus would also pave the way for a greater scope of research and development in these areas. Japan, through the Global Combat Aircraft program, has been working on the development of the sixth-generation fighter jets with Italy and the UK. The joint development of frigates with Australia and Japan has Soryu-class submarines, and later, India could potentially procure these from Japan.
Another possible development that can take place would be the increase in private sector companies creating more products and services for defense and security, and that would need both countries to agree upon some standardized rules and regulations and aim for uniformity in the product development and ultimate outcome.
Both the countries have agreed to work on different technologies like the use of UAVs, robotics, cyber security, and electromagnetic fields, and together, they can work more efficiently in these domains. India has been trying to become self-reliant (Atma Nirbhar) in the domain of defense, and so Japan can also help and train India in those areas.
There is a need to renew the Security Declaration between India and Japan and work on greater opportunities where they need to work on greater capabilities in maritime security and the marine environment and help in the monitoring and patrolling of the sea cables, which would also be built with a regional-specific repair unit.
With regard to the sharing of experiences in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, women peacekeepers can train together. This year, India hosted the first Conference for Women Peacekeepers of the United Nations on 24-25 February, and this could be done on a yearly basis where not only India and Japan, but also other countries can prepare for disaster management casualties, as globally the climate crisis is becoming dangerous.
Since calamities are increasing globally and India has also been facing several disasters, the previous plan to identify the tsunami disaster map in India needs to be worked on with disaster management agencies, and Japan can help with early disaster detection, prevention, and preparedness mechanisms and support each other with data for sharing knowledge and experience.
