Japan and India: Imperatives for a Comprehensive Security Dialogue
21 Feb, 2000 · 326
Dr Subhash Kapila analyses the implications of a security dialogue between two Asian democracies
Imperatives for a deep and powerful political relationship between
Japan and
India existed right from the 1950s, soon after the Korean war. However,
Japan at that time was too closely tied to the
United States take independent initiatives and was soon drawn into US-Japan Mutual Security and further integrated into
USA 's strategies in the region, namely the containment of
China .
India on the other hand got obsessively into the politics of crusading for non-alignment which was anathema to the
United States and its allies.
Japan for what was termed as a security dialogue. However such a beginning needs to be seized upon by both
Japan and
India for a comprehensive security dialogue on matters of common concern.
Japan and
India need to be viewed from both angles.
United States is a Unipolar power but in the Asia Pacific region she face increasing military challenges from
China .
United States under President Clinton has titled heavily towards
China at the expense of
Japan .
Japan had invested heavily for security reasons, failed in their economic miracles and are increasingly overtaken by ethnic and communal strife.
Japan with new security challenges and moreso, the security of her vital life lines-the sea lanes. It must explore attematives.
Japan was ignored at the expense of
China under long years of Nehruvian rule. Even as late as the early 1980s one witnessed the sorry spectacle of the Indian Embassy in
Tokyo without an Ambassador for nearly nine months.
Japan continues to be an economic superpower and
India seriously needs to investigate why it has not been able to attract Japanese investment.
India must shed its strategic ambiguities and spell out what it can offer to
Japan in terms of the security of the sealanes especially from the Hormuz Straits to the Malacca Straits.
India has tremendous potential here.
Japan in its own right is an important power with significant conventional military capabilities. The Japanese Navy can be rated as the best Navy in
Asia . All this is backed by highly advanced and sophisticated indigenous defence production infrastructure.
India must make serious attempts to establish a purposeful relationship with this great Asian country.
Japan and
India entering into a comprehensive security dialogue should not draw adverse reactions globally. After all, a comprehensive security dialogue is not a military alliance aimed against somebody. One could argue that in fact
USA and
Russia could welcome such a step.
China could be the only country to adopt an adverse stance. However, it would not behove
China to do so when its own record is taken into account.
China has single-handedly created a nuclear weapons state with IRBM armoury at
India 's doorstep, namely
Pakistan .
China has similarly created a covert nuclear weapons state with an open IRBM capability across Japanese waters in
North Korea . Both
Pakistan and
North Korea are military irresponsible states as their respective records show.
Japan 's and
India 's neighborhood, especially with nuclear and IRBM proliferation fuelled by
China .
China itself is propelling towards significant military build-up, both conventional and nuclear, which would be dreaded in contiguous regions. Unlike the Cold war where adversial intentions on both sides were predictable,
China 's intentions are ambiguous and generate uncertainties. In such an uncertain Asian security environment, it is imperative that like minded Asian democracies enter into comprehensive security dialogues to discern evolving security challenges.
In the late 1960s and early seventies independent observers of the Asian security scene and some like Alistar Buchan of UK advocated in their writings that Asian Security could best be ensured by security understandings between Japan, Indonesia and India. The Cold War still in existence ensured that such thoughts just faded away.
After nearly half a century, we witnessed recently the first ever visit of an Indian Defence Minister to
Imperatives for Comprehensive Security Dialogue
The Cold War ended years back, but mindsets policy makers everywhere continued to be in the same mould and have been slow in changing. Imperatives for a comprehensive security dialogue between
On the Japanese side the following points need to be appreciated:
1. The end the Cold war has changed the international security scene in general and in the Asia Pacific region in
2.
3. Ironically,
4. The Asean region, in which
5. The above developments present
On the Indian side, equally important points need to be appreciated:-
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Taking into account Japanese economic might, its military potential and its Security Council candidature,
Global and regional Reaction
Regionally,
The new millenium witnesses changing security environments in both
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