India and Japan must work together to protect trade routes, maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific region, experts said at the NDTV Indo-Japan Summit in New Delhi. They said both countries should also work with other major countries to deal with growing tensions in the region.
The discussion, titled From Friendship to Future, focused on the vision of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the future of the Quad and China’s influence in the region.
Tomohiko Taniguchi, former special adviser to late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said the PM wanted Japan to build stronger ties with other countries as China’s military power grew. “He wanted to expand Japan’s network of partner nations and expand Japan’s own strategic space,” Taniguchi said.
India then launched the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which also covers trade, technology, connectivity and the environment.Prime Minister Narendra Modi later introduced the MAHASAGAR vision to build stronger links between different regions. He described them as seas of freedom and prosperity. His speech later became an important part of the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Taniguchi added that Abe wanted to build a strong relationship with India that would benefit both countries in the years ahead.
He recalled that Abe spoke about the connection between the Indian and Pacific Oceans during his address to the Indian Parliament in 2007.
“No nation was better fit than India, seen from that perspective,” he said. Former Indian Ambassador to Japan Sanjay Kumar Verma said India’s approach to the Indo-Pacific has changed in several years as it now covers more than just security at sea.
