Speaker: HE Mr. Yasukuni Enoki, Japan's Ambassador
Chair: Butshikan Singh, Acting Director General, ICWA

The Chair initiated the lecture by saying that India and Japan have shown warmth and understanding in their relations since the 1950s. Except for a dip in the 1960s, Indo-Japanese bilateral relations displayed cordiality throughout the 1970s and the 1980s. In the early 1980s, Japan came forward to tide off the foreign exchange crisis faced by India. Indo-Japanese relations, however, saw its worst era after the Pokhran II tests of May 1998. Japan refused to understand the rationale of India's nuclear policy and became sanctimonious. India feigned ignorance of Japanese displeasure.

Ambassador Enoki said that six years have passed since India tested its nuclear devices. Japan still protests strongly against these tests. However, it is contradictory of Japan to simultaneously denounce India's nuclear option and favour nuclear proliferation under the US umbrella. This is a unique situation. Japan has a basic foundation in relation to its nuclear option. Japan is the only country that has been a victim of the nuclear bomb. The devastation unleashed by the atom bomb is unprecedented in history. The nuclear explosions left 2.1 lakh people dead and 3.5 lakh infected with lethal diseases like leukemia. It was deeply etched in the minds of the Japanese that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil. The Japanese policy now is to prevent a repetition of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan has adopted several peace constitutions. In 1951, US and Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Japan sought the US nuclear umbrella in the interest of world peace.

Japan has also pursued a consistent non-nuclear policy. Since 1967, successful Japanese cabinets have maintained a policy of not possessing, not producing and not permitting nuclear weapons. Japan assures three guarantees to support this policy, viz. Japan's religious belief that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil; various agreements like the Japan Atomic Energy Law and the US-Japan Security Arrangement. Japan further assures that even if Pyongyang and Seoul succeed in getting nuclear weapons, Tokyo will decline building nuclear arsenal. The belief that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil is deeply imbedded in its racial DNA.

On the question of NPT, Japan believes that it is an unequal regime. The P-5 countries while continuing to develop nuclear weapons, prohibit others from doing the same. Though Japan is now an NPT fundamentalist, it took six years from 1970 to 1976 for Tokyo to ratify the treaty. Expressing strong objections to the indefinite extension of the NPT in 1995, Japan is striving hard to counter this inequality through regular domestic debates. Japan strongly contends the fact that if India, Pakistan and Israel are kept out of the NPT, it cannot work properly. It is true that the NPT is seriously challenged by these countries. Nevertheless, 189 countries have ratified the treaty. Hence, the international community must adopt the second best option and make the treaty operational.

Japan favours total elimination of nuclear weapons. Since 1944, Japan in UNSC has proposed for complete abolition of nuclear weapons. 164 countries including India and US have supported this proposal.

What is the post-mortem assessment of India's nuclear tests of 1998? Japan seriously doubts that by crossing the rubicon, India has obtained the status of a major power. On the contrary, Japan recognizes India as a major power in Asia in view of its role in bringing about stability in the region. India is ranked as the world's twelfth economic power. India's GDP is expected to become four times Japan's by mid-21st century. The same recognition has not been accorded to Pakistan after the nuclear tests by the international community.

India and Japan must develop a common minimum programme to further the policy of non-proliferation. Without India's cooperation, no international regime can be effective enough to build a nuclear-free world. Japan is wooing India to join the PSI to expand nuclear cooperation and supports India's membership to the Security Council. Reposing great confidence in India, Japan seeks to strengthen bilateral relations.

Comments and Questions

• If Japan was not under the US nuclear umbrella would it still remain non-nuclear?

• While advocating a policy of disarmament Japan has sought protection under the US nuclear umbrella. Japan must drop its policy of ambiguity and be overtly nuclear.

• Japan being a victim of the atom bomb must not fail to understand the insecurity of Indians who have faced repeated aggression from Pakistan and a major attack from China.

Response

• Japan would pursue a non-nuclear policy even in the absence of US nuclear umbrella, mainly because of its belief that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil.

• The US nuclear umbrella provides Japan with a better security environment than India which is facing nuclear adversaries like China and Pakistan.

• Japan seeks to amend Article 9 of the NPT so that collective security can be exercised by the international community.

• India and Japan must develop strategic cooperation for enhancing security in the region.