India, Japan agree on military sales, train, nuclear deal

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shares a light moment with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) before the signing of agreements at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on December 12, 2015.

The premier told the press: “Bullet trains will revolutionise the Indian Railways and will become the engine of economic transformation in India”. They will certainly not appreciate the India-Japan defence co-operation agreement and the attempt to get India involved in the defence architecture of the larger Asia-Pacific region. Japan has also pledged Dollars 5 billion as part of its Overseas Development Assistance to India.

Abe had stressed to reporters Friday that a nuclear cooperation pact between India and Japan – the only country in the world to have experienced atomic bombing – would be strictly limited to civilian uses of the energy. Abe described the agreements as a new era of cooperation between the nations. Modi called the agreement a “shining symbol” of a new level of mutual confidence and strategic partnership in the cause of a peaceful and secure world.

Japan will provide $12 billion to build a bullet train that will run between the western cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. It would reduce travel times between the cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of Modi’s home state, Gujarat, from eight hours to two.

Briefing the media, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said that they have reached substantive agreement on the Indo-Japan nuclear deal, and only legal scrubbing was to be taken into consideration and rest of the agreement was done.

As both countries “in principle” agreed for cooperation in civil nuclear energy, Japan today cautioned India that it will be “quite natural” for it to review its cooperation if New Delhi goes for a nuclear test.

However, he added that exporting automobiles to Japan is not an easy task. Modi said that for the first time Japan will import cars from India. “The Japanese company will manufacture here and export it to Japan”, he said, adding that both India and Japan should move ahead together, not just in the sphere of high-speed trains, but also for “high-speed growth”, he added.

The ancient temple town, situated less than 15 kms from Sarnath where Buddha delivered his first sermon upon attaining enlightenment, boasts of a special place in the religious and cultural consciousness of Japan as well as most of the South East Asian countries with sizeable Buddhist populations.

It was ambitious. But, together we are quickly turning it into reality.

“Today, we have scaled new summits in our shared journey”, he said. “But the fact that we have concluded negotiations, the two Prime Ministers have signed the memorandum speaks for itself”, Mr Jaishankar said.

“Japan also has agreed to implement the concept of Japan industrial townships in India”, Jaishankar said. Modi also announced that India in March will begin extending “visa on arrival” privileges to Japanese citizens in recognition of the two countries’ special relationship. In September 2014, Prime Minister Abe, spoke of 35 billion US Dollars of Japanese finance and investment in India over five years.

Prime Minister Abe also expressed his intention to support India’s efforts by sharing its advanced skills and technologies and through active mobilisation of Japanese public and private sector involvement, including Official Development Assistance (ODA).