During the first Japan-India Coordination Forum for Development of the North Eastern Region, it was announced that India plans to spend INR 45,000 crores for addressing the gaps in state plans vis-à-vis the development of the region bordering China, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Looking for collaborative interventions that can fast-track development in the North East of India, Japan’s assistance has been sought across tourism, food processing, skill development as well as infrastructural development, especially in terms of alleviating their vulnerabilities to natural calamities, for example, by ensuring that buildings are resistant to damage from earthquakes.
A key outcome of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India during the 12th Indo-Japan annual summit was the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed for setting up an India-Japan Act East Forum as an amalgamation of India’s Act East Policy and Japan’s Free and Open Asia-Pacific strategy. This Forum will promote development projects in the North East of India as well as enhance connectivity in the region.
Japan and India have historically had a long-standing and multi-faceted relationship. They have been engaged in cultural exchanges and have cemented strategic ties over time.Their trade relations flourished post World War II. Japan is one of the few countries that India has allowed to be a part of the socio-economic development efforts in the North East. Now, their linkages are deepening as major development partners, with the enhancement of economic and diplomatic agreements as well as strategic defense partnerships based on a common vision of the evolving scenario in Asian geopolitics.
The Japanese companies have been entering into joint ventures with Indian companies, based on investments and capacity expansions, in order to take advantage of the cheap labour and technological expertise available in India. India’s Act East Policy has further influenced the influx of businesses in India, especially in the North East of India, as reflected by the presence of Japanese business establishments. Japan has been extending ODA loans in the North East since 1981, across fields like water supply, energy, forestry and urban development.
The North East of India is strategically located at the juncture of Japan and South-East Asia and acts as a corridor to the BIMSTEC countries i.e. economic cooperation with Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In the backdrop of China’s One Belt Road Initiative, Japan is interested in exploring collaborative opportunities with India for the development of projects in ASEAN. In this context, the abundance of skilled labour available in North East could aid Japan in multiple ways.
Kenji Hiramatsu, Japan’s ambassador to India, describes Japan as “a natural partner for the development of the north-east region.” The aspirational element of the India-Japan bilateral relationship is captured in the Joint Statement on India and Japan Vision 2025: Special Strategic and Global Partnership Working Together for Peace and Prosperity released by Prime Ministers Shinzo and Modi during the former’s visit to India in 2015.
India Outbound
October 15,2018
source https://indiaoutbound.org/the-north-east-of-india-as-a-pivot-for-potential-japan-india-collaboration/
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