PERSPECTIVE
pressing challenge to see the region
being stable and prosperous from the
perspective of political and economic
interests
(B) The co-working of two
countries allows them to build a
mutually-complementary relationship
of cooperation, given that Japan has
established a close economic network
with Southeast Asia, and India has
many Indian private companies that
have taken root in the Middle East
and Africa, driven mainly by overseas
Indians.
(C) Japan and India, enjoying
their long historical relationship,
share various common values such
as democracy and the rule of law, and their economic
cooperation to date has delivered satisfactory results in
terms of experience and volume, making it easy for the two
countries to collaborate.
Specifi cally, at the Japan-India summit meeting of October
2018, the two countries affi rmed the policy to promote projects
for high-quality infrastructure in regions including Sri Lanka,
Myanmar, Bangladesh and African countries. High-quality
infrastructure is characterized by its cost-eff ectiveness in the
long run, as it is robust, long-lasting, disaster resistant and
environmentally friendly. Moreover, Japan and India agreed
to establish the Platform for Japan-India Business Cooperation
in the Asia-Africa Region with the aim to develop industrial
corridors and networks in these regions.
How can Japan and India cooperate in the field of
development partnership?
Japan and India have provided soft loans and technical
assistance to Asia and Africa under the policy of Offi cial
Development Assistance (ODA) and Development Partnership
Administration (DPA) respectively. When using existing
cooperation modalities, the following ways are to be considered:
The fi rst is the implementation of a joint study on regional
development. In the past, Japan conducted a master plan of
regional development of the Mekong region in Southeast Asia.
Mekong countries participated in the process of formulating
the masterplan, and each country took ownership and carried
out individual development projects. Thus, Japan and India
can jointly work to draw a regional development plan aimed
at enhancing the connectivity between Asia and Africa.
The second is fi nancial support for individual projects.
For example, one can provide fi nancial support for port
development while the other can fi nance roads and railways
connecting to the port. Currently, the two governments have
started a discussion on a similar form of fi nancial support for
a hospital project in Kenya.
The third is to carry out human
resource development of partner
countries jointly. India has conducted
human resource training for more
than one hundred sixty partner
countries under the scheme of India
Technical and Economic Cooperation
(ITEC), also known as south-south
cooperation internationally. If the
Japanese experts can participate in
these training courses as lecturers,
it may contribute to enhancing the
quality of training.
The fourth is to share the
information on financial support.
Sharing information on development
projects including the timing of
bidding to the private sector of the two countries would create
an environment that facilitates collaboration among private
companies to seek business opportunities.
To put FOIP into practice, Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA), an agency of the Japanese government for
implementing ODA, intends to support development projects/
programs aimed at penetrating and permeating the rule of law
and free trade, and for improving marine-land connections,
in consideration of dispute-aff ected countries and territories.
In fact, in ASEAN and Africa, JICA has extended regional
development cooperation with a focus on establishing legal
systems and building regional connectivity. As a good
example, the Second Mekong International Bridge across the
border between Thailand and Laos, supported by Japan, has
functioned as the navel of the East-West Economic Corridor
in the Mekong region. This bridge has helped to revitalize the
regional economy and strengthen ties among neighbouring
countries. Moreover, to secure the safety of the sea, we
continue to cooperate in the area of coastguard operation
mainly in ASEAN countries. In this cooperation, equipment
supply and capacity development are packaged together to
increase its eff ectiveness.
India is the oldest development partner of JICA as well
as the largest in the past decade, and we will strengthen the
ties through a new partnership of development cooperation
in the FOIP concept. As stated by Indian prime minister in
Shangri-La dialogue in 2018, the value of fi ve S, Samman
(respect), Samvad (dialogue), Sahayoga (cooperation), Shanti
(peace), and Samriddhi (prosperity) is re-emphasised for our
partnership building to engage with FOIP.
Japan and India have
provided soft loans and
technical assistance to Asia
and Africa under the policy
of Offi cial Development
Assistance (ODA) and
Development Partnership
Administration (DPA)
respectively.
(The above text is a personal opinion of the author and
does not represent the opinion of JICA as an organisation.)
* Author is Chief Representative at JICA India offi ce
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 4 • April-May 2019, Noida • 41