14th India-Japan Annual Summit, in Delhi, celebrated the 70th anniversary of India establishing diplomatic relations with post-War Japan.

Both nations launched a Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) for cooperation towards achieving sustainable economic growth, addressing climate change, and ensuring energy security.

Japan aims to invest $42 billion (5 trillion yen) over the next five years in India, signed six pacts in areas of cybersecurity, capacity building, information sharing, and cooperation, and launched a sustainable development initiative  for India’s northeast.

Japan has been the fifth-largest investor in India, with foreign direct investments of $36.4 billion between April 2000 and December 2021. It accounted for 6% of the cumulative FDI inflows into India during this period.

the joint statement issued later also underlined the significance of international law and the need to resolve disputes without any use of force or any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo.

             LEARNING FROM HOME/ WITHOUT CLASSES/ BASICS

INDO-JAPAN RELATIONS

Japan and India signed a peace treaty and established diplomatic relations on 28th April, 1952. This treaty was one of the first peace treaties Japan signed after World War II. Their relationship has gone beyond economics to enter the sphere of strategic cooperation.

There is synergy between the two in issues of bilateral regional and global importance; convergence on strategic matters; and its significance is growing from the common outlook on issues of peace, security and stability of the Indo-Pacific Region and their commitment to multilateralism.

Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have enjoyed cordial relations. Annual Summits between the Prime Ministers commencing 2006 when both sides established ‘Strategic and Global Partnership’.in 2014 upgraded bilateral relations to ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’

• India decided to introduce the Shinkansen system in December 2015, when Prime Minister Abe visited India. The Japan’s Shinkansen system is in a highest class of High-Speed Railway systems around the world in terms of its safety and accuracy
• Japan’s resistance to recognising India as a nuclear power, still the two nations finally decided to sign the civil nuclear pact in 2016.
• In the Indo–Pacific region as well and Japan joining as the third partner in the Malabar exercises, along with India and the US, highlights the strong bonding.
• The Japan-India Digital Partnership launched in October 2018 between the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Under the partnership, Japan and India agreed to establish a startup hub in Bengaluru, and to cooperate in cybersecurity and the dissemination of next-generation networks
• In November 2019, Japan and India held their first “2 plus 2” meeting of foreign and defense ministers. 
•  Undertaking joint projects in India’s Northeast and wider South Asia to the revival of Quad in 2017 and joint connectivity projects such as the Asia Africa Growth Corridor.
• In 2020 India and Japan concluded their Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) simplify the processes involved in using each other’s facilities. The India-Japan ACSA would provide the two militaries with access to each other’s military facilities for repair and replenishment of provisions as well as overall improve the scope and sophistication of military-to-military cooperation
• India has been the largest recipient of Japanese ODA Loan for the past decades. Delhi Metro is one of the most successful examples of Japanese cooperation through the utilization of ODA. Japan continues to cooperate in supporting strategic connectivity linking South Asia to Southeast Asia through the synergy between ”Act East” policy and ”Partnership for Quality Infrastructure.”