Research On Japan's Policy Towards India Since The Second Abe Regime

Since Shinzo Abe took office as prime minister for the second time in December 2012,the policy support to India has been continuously augmented and Japan-India relations have thus developed rapidly.The augmentation proved his policy choice in the face of changes in the international,regional and Japanese environment.Specifically,from the international perspective,the United States hoped to encircle China by accelerating Japan-India proximity and alliance system transformation owing to its relative decline.Given the impact of Trump's unilateralism upon the U.S.-Japan alliance,Japan had to contemplate establishing foreign policy relations with countries other than the United States.From the regional perspective,the geostrategic value of India has increased with the rise of the “India-Pacific” concept.As the pro-Japanese Bharatiya Janata Party rose to power,Japan's policy towards India gained growing acceptance.In addition,Japan has been mired in its diplomacy towards Northeast Asia,hence no alternative but to intend India as a breakthrough for diplomatic achievements.From the domestic perspective,the political situation of “Abe's dominance” has taken shape,which provided sound domestic conditions for the continuation of his India policy and allowed for close personal relations between Abe and Modi.The exacerbation of the sub-replacement fertility and population ageing has reinforced the complementarity between Japan and India in human resources.The policy towards India since Abe's second tenure has the following three major objectives.Firstly,it aims to maintain the existent international order whilst diminishing the risks from Trump's administration by cementing Japan-India relations,thereby coping with the relative decline of the United States.Secondly,it intends to deny its own crimes of aggression during World War II exploiting India's special cognition of the history,advance its military great-nationalization via bilateral military cooperation,and accelerate the construction of the Japanese-version “India-Pacific Strategy”,thus promoting the Japanese great-nationalization.Thirdly,it attempts to undermine China's international leverage and hinder its peaceful rise by exerting pressure concerning the issues on the South China Sea,the East China Sea and the Sino-Indian border.The policy towards India since Abe's second tenure embraces such aspects as politics,security,economy,humanities,etc.First and foremost,the Abe administration has been promoting bilateral political relations by elevating the status of mutual relations,constructing a multilateral cooperation mechanism and soliciting India's support for the “Free and Open India-Pacific Strategy”.Moreover,it has been strengthening Japan-India security cooperation by elevating the status of mutual security cooperation,pursuing all-round security cooperation,and deepening cooperation in sensitive areas such as intelligence and weaponry.Penultimately,in respect of economy,the Abe administration has been actively stimulating mutual investment,fostering cooperation in regional trade,and has reached the Japan-India Civil Nuclear Energy Agreement.Last but not least,as regards humanities,the Abe administration emphasizes the affinity between the two countries in religion and values,keeps strengthening support for the cultivation of talents in India,and has been actively encouraging cultural exchanges.Compared with the policies towards India in the past,the one since Abe's second tenure has developed the following characteristics.Firstly,it perceives multilateral cooperation as a crucial mechanism to expedite the advancement of Japan-India relations,strengthens security cooperation to make for quasi-alliance with India,and renders the cooperation mechanism more concrete to ensure the implementation of relevant policies.These policies will be conducive to the implementation of “Free and Open India-Pacific Strategy”,lending vitality to Japan's economy and stepping up the military great-nationalization.In regard to India,these policies will secure its economic foothold as a bridge to African markets and expand its influence in the “India-Pacific” region,albeit multiplying the risk of its embroilment in Sino-U.S.competition.In the short term,the strategy will stabilize the Japan-US alliance,but the great-nationalization will also increase the risk.Although the Abe administration has brought pressure to bear upon China,it has also allowed for trilateral cooperation among China,Japan and India.It is in Japan's national interest to strengthen support for its policy towards India.Nonetheless,the pace of its advancement will be informed by U.S.foreign policy,China's foreign policy towards its periphery and India's attitude towards Japan.In the future,Japan's policy towards India will focus on stimulating the enthusiasm of India for developing the bilateral relations to lessen its own policy costs,attaching significance to the cooperation in outer space,cyberspace and other important arenas engaging major powers,and maintaining its relationship with India at the level of quasi-alliance.Indubitably,Japan's strengthened policy support to India will bring upon China strategic pressure to bear from both the East and the West,which is detrimental to the peaceful rise and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.