Indo-Japan equation unlikely to change

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 28

The resignation of India-friendly Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on health grounds may lead to a slight rearranging of the diplomatic calendar, but is unlikely to alter the chemistry in the bilateral ties that have been on an upswing for 15 years, said sources.

Though Abe has declined to endorse a successor, the sources said all probable candidates had favoured close security and trade ties with India at a time when both countries are grappling with an aggressive China. Under Abe, Japan was among the first countries to back India during the Doklam incident.

PM Modi wishes speedy recovery

Pained to hear about your ill health, my dear friend @AbeShinzo. In recent years, with your wise leadership and personal commitment, the India-Japan partnership has become deeper and stronger than ever before. I wish and pray for your speedy recovery. —Narendra Modi, indian PM

As an elderly politician, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso could be a stop-gap arrangement till the next elections, when Shinjiro Koizumi from the young brigade and Fumio Kishida, Taro Kono and Yoshihide Suga among the seniors will stake claim.

All of them have a consensus on parking Japan’s huge surplus in Indian mega projects and in mirroring the US moves to forge closer security and defence ties, said the sources.

Giving an example of the unanimity on deployment of Japanese capital, the sources said it was former PM Junichiro Koizumi, the father of current Cabinet Minister Shinjiro, who pushed for the Bullet Train project. Finally, it was Abe who clinched it after 15 years.

There was a time when India resisted the Bullet Train project. Japanese political class unanimously agreed to finance the dedicated freight corridor projects instead. Then PM and current contender Taro Aso had approved the massive funding for the project even if it led to the Japanese temporarily shelving their plan to fund the Bullet Train project.

Abe’s successor is unlikely to deviate from this path and will be willing to sign a logistic sharing arrangement with India to push it forward, said sources while pointing out that the resignation took interlocutors by surprise as they were aiming at an Abe-Modi summit via videoconferencing on September 10.