LOOKING EAST

Few had expected India and Japan to sign a deal on civil nuclear
co-operation during Manmohan Singh's just-concluded visit to Tokyo.
But the joint statement issued after Mr Singh's meeting with Shinzo
Abe is enough evidence that both sides are keener on the deal than
before. Both sides have now agreed to accelerate talks on such an
agreement. Given strong domestic opinions on the issue in Japan and
the fears resulting from the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power
plant in March 2011, this is a major step forward. Both countries have
come to view a nuclear co-operation agreement as crucial to their
economic agenda. Mr Abe's administration now sees the export of
nuclear plant technology as a major plank of its agenda for economic
revival. It sees India as a huge potential market for nuclear plant
technology. For energy-starved India, nuclear power is crucial to
maintaining the current level of economic growth. But the joint
statement points to a more significant direction in India-Japan
relations in the near future. Both countries now share a commitment to
deepen bilateral engagement in both economic and security-related
areas. The co-operation is now expected to cover issues relating to a
peaceful and stable future, as Mr Singh put it, of the Asia-Pacific
and the Indian Ocean regions.

New Delhi's enhanced engagement with Tokyo is a clear departure from
past strategies. Until recently, India's ties with Japan would be
conditioned by possible Chinese responses. India would be careful not
to strike any deal with Japan that might be viewed with suspicion in
Beijing. But China's recent rise, which is not seen by its neighbours
as entirely peaceful, has changed equations and perceptions among
countries in the region. Beijing's territorial disputes with several
of its neighbours, including Japan and India, have caused new tensions
in the region. Increasingly, countries in the area feel the need for a
stable balance of power in Asia, in which India and Japan are expected
to play a crucial role. True, an expansion of India-Japan defence
co-operation could make Beijing uneasy. But New Delhi should not allow
the 'China factor' to sway its ties with other countries in Asia. At
the same time, India should be careful not to be seen entering into or
even encouraging any military alliance aimed at containing China.
India's search for new friends in the East need not be at the cost of
other bilateral ties.