The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus

In-depth critical analysis of the forces shaping the Asia-Pacific...and the world.

T he Asi a -Pa ci f i c J o urna l , Vo l 11, I ssue 24 , No . 3, J une 17, 20 13.

India Places It s Asian Bet o n Japan: Ro iling t he Wat ers o f t he Asia-Pacif ic

Pe t e r Le e

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In a dis maying week fo r the PRC, India turned away fro m China...and gave further s ignals that it is ready to mo ve beyo nd the
narrative o f Japanes e Wo rld War II aggres s io n that has info rmed Chinas As ian diplo macy and ancho red the US pres ence in As ia fo r
o ver half a century in favo r o f a view o f Japan as a leading and laudable s ecurity acto r in Eas t As ia.
I do nt kno w if there is a term in the diplo matic lexico n fo r deep to ngue kis s acco mpanied by gro ans o f mutual fulfillment, but if
there is , it s eems it wo uld be illus trated by the enco unter between Indian Prime Minis ter Manmo han Singh and Japanes e PM Abe
Shinz o in To kyo o n May 27-29 , 20 13.
Speaking to an as s embly o f Japanes e go vernment and co rpo rate
wo rthies in To kyo , Singh s aid:
Asias resurgence began over a century ago on this island of the Rising Sun.
Ever since, Japan has shown us the way forward. India and Japan have a
shared vision of a rising Asia. Over the past decade, therefore, our two
countries have established a new relationship based on shared values and
shared interests.

Our relationship with Japan has been at the heart of our Look East Policy.
Japan inspired Asia's surge to prosperity and it remains integral to Asias
future. The world has a huge stake in Japans success in restoring the
momentum of its growth. Your continued leadership in enterprise,
technology and innovation and your ability to remain the locomotive of Asian
renaissance are crucial. India's relations with Japan are important not only
for our economic development, but also because we see Japan as a natural
Si ngh ( l e f t ) a nd Abe i n T o k yo
and indispensable partner in our quest for stability and peace in the vast
region in Asia that is washed by the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Our relations
draw their strength from our spiritual, cultural and civilizational affinities and a shared commitment to the ideals of democracy, peace and
freedom. We have increasingly convergent world views and growing stakes in each others prosperity. We have shared interests in maritime
security and we face similar challenges to our energy security. There are strong synergies between our economies, which need an open, rulebased international trading system to prosper. Together, we seek a new architecture for the United Nations Security Council. In recent years, our
political and security cooperation has gained in salience. Japan is the only partner with whom we have a 2-plus-2 Dialogue between the Foreign
and Defence Ministries. We have also begun bilateral exercises with the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force.
The ro mance was co ns ecrated by an audience with the Japanes e empero r and empres s fo r Singh and his wife, and the anno uncement
that the ro yal co uple wo uld be vis iting India befo re the years end in o nly the s eco nd o vers eas trip fo r the aging empero r s ince
20 0 9 .
It s ho uld als o be no ted that India is s tudying Japans o ffer to s ell an amphibio us plane, the US-2, that wo uld be de facto Japans firs t
o vers eas military s ale, tho ugh it wo uld go o ut under the flag o f dual us e ( the Japanes e go vernment has previo us ly s upplied
maritime patro l ves s els to Indo nes ia, and has pro mis ed them to the Philippines , but as develo pmental as s is tance, no t as a s ale) .
Co mpare and co ntras t Singhs effus io ns in To kyo with the pro per but dis tant to ne o f the co mmuniqu o n Chines e PM Li Keqiangs
recent vis it to India:
There is enough space in the world for the development of India and China, and the world needs the common development of both countries. As
the two largest developing countries in the world, the relationship between India and China transcends bilateral scope and has acquired regional,
global and strategic significance. Both countries view each other as partners for mutual benefit and not as rivals or competitors.
Much o f the Indian co verage gave full rein to anti-PRC feelings ( The Hindu being the exceptio n, altho ugh it perfo rce titled its
s keptical edito rial o n Singhs Japan trip as Lo ve in To kyo ) , implying that Indias vo cifero us China bas hers were celebrating an o vert
s hift in Indian go vernment attitudes o r, at the very leas t, Japan had been extremely tho ro ugh in its s padewo rk with right-wing Indian
media to cultivate a Japan-India alliance.
The Times o f India headlined:
India, Japan join hands to break Chinas string of pearls
Firs t Po s t wro te:
Its true that no other country in the world today feels as threatened by Chinas so-called peaceful rise as Japan. But then India too feels
threatened by China. That is why Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister and a known India friend, had said in his address to the joint session of
Indian parliament in the Central Hall in the summer of 2007 that the Indo-Japan relations were a confluence of the two seas, a phrase that he
drew from the title of a book written by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh in 1655.
Abe is an unabashed China-basher who says he is determined to see that the South China Sea does not become a Lake Beijing. He has

proposed an ADSD Asia Democratic Security Diamond, comprising Japan, India, Australia and the US.
This is what Abe said in a signed article in December 2012: If Japan were to yield, the South China Sea would become even more fortified.
Freedom of navigation, vital for trading countries such as Japan and South Korea, would be seriously hindered. The naval assets of the United
States, in addition to those of Japan, would find it difficult to enter the entire area, though the majority of the two China seas is international
water.
Abe has forecast that in about a decade Japan-India relations would overtake Japan-China and even Japan-US relations. I envisage a strategy
whereby Australia, India, Japan, and the US state of Hawaii form a diamond to safeguard the maritime commons stretching from the Indian
Ocean region to the western Pacific, he said in this article.

India and Japan were never as close to each other as they are today. The bonding is to become all the stronger in the near future. All thanks to
China.
Eco no mic Times o bs erved:
Japan occupies a large space in Manmohan Singh's heart, and he has logged enough frequent flyer miles to Tokyo to prove it. When he lands in
Tokyo on Monday, Singh is certain to get the kind of reception that will show Japan reciprocates in full measure.

Japan has the kind of technological and innovation heft India needs in spades. Acknowledging this, the PM once famously listed three of India's
relationships he described as "transformational" - US, Japan and Germany - that if India used these relationships wisely, they could help
transform our nation.
With Shinzo Abe back in power in Japan with a convincing mandate and a will to resuscitate Japan from its "lost decades", India has a unique
opportunity.

It is time India came out of the closet to strengthen the countries in the region: Indonesia, Vietnam and the real power in Asia - Japan. India
should not waste its time looking for Japanese endorsement of Kashmir or Arunachal Pradesh, though many officials will tell you this is why we're
kind of reticent with them. Instead, India should be more helpful on the Senkaku/Diaoyu issue - because if China gets away with this one, it will be
unstoppable everywhere else.
Put China o n the lis t o f o bs ervers who came away with the impres s io n o f an Indo -Japanes e lo ve fes t.
Fo r an illus tratio n o f the diplo matic equivalent o f green eyed mo ns ter that do th mo ck the meat it feeds o n i.e. jealo us y/envy/s o ur
grapes , no te this Peo ples D aily edito rial which attempts to put the res o lutio n o f a mino r bo rder intrus io n during Li Keqiangs vis it to
India o n a par with the multi-co urs e lo ve feas t between Singh and Abe ( while diplo matically putting the blame fo r Singhs dalliance
o n Abes s ho ulders ) :
Si no -I ndi a n di pl o ma t i c mi ra cl e e mba rra sse s J a pa ne se po l i t i ci a ns
The clouds in the sky cannot blot out the sunshine of Sino-Indian friendship, said Premier Li Keqiang when describing the Sino-Indian ties on
the last day of his stay in India. Before Premier Li Keqiangs visit, the China-India border standoff was hyped up by international media. The
divergence and contradictions between the two countries were also exaggerated as if the Sino-Indian ties had been strained suddenly. But what
surprised the media was that China and India properly solved the issue in a short time. During Premier Li Keqiangs visit, the top leaders of both
countries had sincere and candid talks and came to a series of strategic consensus and cooperation. The shift of Sino-Indian ties in such a short
time is a miracle. In the development of Sino-Indian ties there are several divergence and contradictions. Some countries see these differences as
an opportunity to provoke dissension. Not long ago, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Japan, India, Australia and the U.S. to jointly
form a Democratic Security Diamond to compete with the ascendant China. He also proposed that Japan should promote Strategic Diplomacy
and Values Diplomacy and made visits in countries around China. Some politicians just made themselves petty burglars on China-related issues.
The so-called Democratic Security Diamond, Strategic Diplomacy and Values Diplomacy among other new terms seem very strategic. But in
fact they unveiled the narrow-minded diplomatic thoughts of Japanese government. The conspiracy of these petty burglars is doomed to fail
A brief no te: the D emo cratic Security D iamo nd was o riginally bruited abo ut in Abes firs t term and independently champio ned by US
Vice Pres ident D ick Cheney as a piece o f unabas hed China co ntainment. He attempted to advance it during an As ian trip in 20 0 7,
o ver the o bjectio ns o f the res t o f the Bus h adminis tratio n, which was trying to engage the PRC o n the perennial No rth Ko rea nuclear
is s ue at the time.
It is difficult to s hed the feeling that Indian co mmentato rs who detect an anti-China s hift in Indian go vernment po licy are o n to
s o mething.
Certainly, the Japan-India affair has s o und diplo matic and eco no mic bas es . India is no t happy abo ut its immens e trade deficit with
China; Japan s ees India as an alternative manufacturing bas e to an increas ingly ho s tile ( and co s tly) China.
Mr. Abe als o wo uld welco me s o me big ticket deals with Indiaho pefully including a do minant s hare o f Indias nuclear po wer plant
impo rts ( s ee P.K. Sundarams article at Japan Fo cus ) -- to keep the eco no my humming and keep Abeno mics o ut o f the ditch.
Vario us natio nal quid pro quo s are at wo rks everal billio n do llars in Japanes e lo ans , Indian s uppo rt fo r the To kyo O lympics in
20 20 , and a pro mis e to wo rk to gether to change the s tructure o f the UN Security Co uncil, to date no tably China-heavy and Japanand-India-unrepres ented.
But an interes ted readerand, indeed, the Chines e go vernmentcanno t es cape the s ens e that Singh, enco uraged by Abes vigo ro us
appro ach to res to ring Japans natio nal and regio nal s tature, has decided to place an o pen bet o n Japana fello w demo cracy and,
until recent years at leas t, ackno wledged mas ter o f the glo bal eco no mic and financial gameins tead o f o bs trepero us , s tate
s o cialis t China in the As ian s weeps takes .
Therefo re, I fo r o nce and very gingerly take is s ue with the es teemed Mr. Bhadrakumars co nclus io n that Chinas as s ertivenes s in
Ladakh s trengthened the hands o f Indias China bas hers and queered Li Keqiangs trip and Sino -Indian relatio ns o verall. G iven the
apparent des ire o f Prime Minis ter Singh to prio ritiz e a Japan partners hip, maybe s o mebo dy tho ught an Indian pro vo catio n in Ladakh
wo uld yield a timely and us eful piece o f anti-Chines e framing to the enco unter in To kyo . O r perhaps , Mr. Singhs heart was in Japan

fro m the beginning.

Chines e s tate media has fo r the mo s t part refrained fro m criticiz ing Manmo han Singh and Indias Japan tilt directly. Ho wever,
references to Radhabino d Pal have appeared in Chines e media and, pro vide an interes ting pers pective ( and s urro gate) fo r Chinas
uneas e with its deepening Indio -Japanes e co nundrum.
Pal was an Indian juris t o n the To kyo War Crimes Tribunal in 19 46 . Enamo red o f the anti-co lo nial rheto ric that acco mpanied the
Japanes e advance into SE As ia, he believed the United States had pro vo ked Japan into war ( the Japanes e res po ns e was therefo re
no t aggres s ive) , was co ncerned abo ut Allied wartime atro cities , and declined to endo rs e the triumph o f civiliz atio n narrative o f
Japans defeat o r the creatio n o f Clas s A war criminal catego ry that the O ccupatio n us ed to pro s ecute the Japanes e military and
civilian leaders hip. While ackno wledging the co mmis s io n o f atro cities in the field ( tho ugh a Nanjing Mas s acre s keptic) , Pal vo ted fo r
acquittal o f the Clas s A defendants and prepared a 1235-page dis s enting o pinio ns uppres s ed by the O ccupatio n until 19 52
s tating that the trial was a victo rs jus tice traves ty.
So far s o go o d.
After his dis s ent was publis hed, Pal, uns urpris ingly, became a hero to Japanes e natio nalis ts . G iven the legal and mo ral flaws o f the
tribunal, the s tandard explanatio n is that Pal was s imply a s crupulo us juris t who s e dis s ent go t cherry picked by nas ty natio nalis ts
fo r verbiage that s uppo rted their claim that the o nly thing Japan did wro ng in Wo rld War II was lo s e it.
Actually, as an article at Japan Fo cus by Japanes e s cho lar Nakajima Takes hi po ints o ut, in his dis s ent Pal went beyo nd challenging
the legality and validity o f the tribunal to excus ing Japanes e--activities ? Aggres s io n? Advances ? Cho o s e yo ur favo rite term o n the
gro unds that Japan was getting picked o n by the Wes t.
This is rather o bvio us in Pals treatment o f Japans incurs io n into Manchuria in 19 31, which Japan did o n its o wn kick witho ut the
excus e that the US was fo rcing it into war.
Pal o bvio us ly finds it extremely awkward that Japan, in his mind the fro nt line o f res is tance to wes tern co lo nialis m, ado pted nakedly
co lo nial po licies in its dis memberment o f China and s ubjugatio n o f Manchuria.
He attempts to res o lve his difficulties by deplo ying what might be characteriz ed as the mo nkey s ee mo nkey do defens ethat
Japan, deluded by the precedent, pretexts , and s purio us legality o f Wes tern co lo nial intrus io ns , mis takenly ado pted the s ame
metho ds and, indeed, erro neo us ly ado pted the very idea that it needed to o ccupy Manchuria, fro m the Wes t.
After dis mis s ing the Manchurian and Marco Po lo Bridge incidents as examples o f s imple o verexuberance by o fficers in the field and
no t elements o f a co ns piracy to jus tify o ccupatio n o f no rth and no rtheas t China, Pal deplo yed the delus io n defens e, as Nakajima
writes :
Justice Pal then critically examined Western Imperialism, which, he asserted, Japan had imitated. Quoting theSurvey of International Affairs 1932,
he turned the target of the criticism toward the colonial policies of Western Powers:
Was it not Western Imperialism that had coined the word protectorate as a euphemism for annexation? And had not this constitutional fiction
served its Western inventors in good stead? Was not this the method by which the Government of the French Republic had stepped into the
shoes of the Sultan of Morocco, and by which the British Crown had transferred the possession of vast tracts of land in East Africa from native
African to adventitious European hands?
For Justice Pal, Japans farce was nothing but the result of imitating Western fashions of imperialism. From this point of view, he questioned why
only Japans establishment of Manchukuo could be assessed as aggression. Werent Western countries morally guilty as well in practicing
colonialism? If the acts of aggression by Western countries were not charged as crimes, why was the establishment of Manchukuo by Japan?
Justice Pal further quoted theSurvey of International Affairs 1932:
Though the Japanese failed to make the most of these Western precedents in stating their case for performing the farce of Manchukuo, it may
legitimately be conjectured that Western as well as Japanese precedents had in fact suggested, and commended, this line of policy to Japanese
minds.
By saying, [i]t may not be a justifiable policy, justifying one nations expansion in anothers territory,he emphasised that both Japan and the
Western countries were morally responsible for the colonisation of other nations. Justice Pal explained that Japan was at that time possessed with
a delusion and believed that the country would face death and destruction if it failed in acquiring Manchuria.Pal regarded this as the reason for
Japans attempts to establish interests which it saw as necessary for its very existence. Justice Pal said that carrying out a military operation
driven by delusion was not unique to Japan as it had been repeatedly practised on a large scale by Western countries for many years. Saying,
[a]lmost every great power acquired similar interests within the territories of the Eastern Hemisphere and, it seems, every such power
considered that interest to be very vital, Pal argued that Japan had the right to argue that the Manchurian Incident was necessary for the sake
of self-defense.Japan claiming national self-defense in regard to its territorial expansion in China was in step with international society at the
time, Pal said, and thus Japans actions stemmed from the imitation of an evil practice of Western imperialism. Based on this premise, he
concluded: The action of Japan in Manchuria wouldnot, it is certain,be applauded by the world. At the same time it would be difficult to condemn
the same as criminal.
Pals brief s eems to go beyo nd the ques tio ning o f a dubio us legal pro ceeding by a dis tinguis hed and experienced internatio nal juris t
to rather dis ho no rable s pecial pleading o n behalf o f his favo rite co untry, Japan.
In 19 6 6 , the Empero r o f Japan co nferred upo n Palwho s tated his lifelo ng admiratio n o f Japan as the o ne As ian co untry that s to o d
up to the Wes t-- the Firs t Clas s o f the O rder o f the Sacred Treas ure.
The Pal dis s ent is a co rners to ne o f the recent natio nalis t tilt o f the Japanes e go vernment, as can be s een fro m this Telegraph repo rt
o f the aftermath o f the LD Ps victo ry at the po lls in 20 12:
"The view of that great war was not formed by the Japanese themselves, but rather by the victorious Allies, and it is by their judgment only that
[Japanese] were condemned," Mr Abe told a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on Tuesday.
In his previous short-lived spell as prime minister, for 12 months from September 2006, Mr Abe said that the 28 Japanese military and political
leaders charged with Class-A war crimes are "not war criminals under the laws of Japan."
Pal was ens hrined at Yas ukuni, which gives the lie to the claim that it is s imply a memo rial to the war dead and no t a revis io nis t
s hrine. The pho to illus trating Pals entry in Wikipedia is his Yas ukuni s tele.

Prime Minis ter Abe made a pilgrimage to Ko lkata in 20 0 7 to meet with Pals
s o n and receive two pictures o f Pal with Abes grandfather, ex-Prime Minis ter
Kis hi No bus uke, who was detained after the war as a s us pected Clas s A
criminal but never indicted o r tried.
Fo r tho s e who like their natio nal his to ry co nvo luted, it s ho uld als o be po inted
o ut that Pal was an admirer o f the Indian Natio nal Army, which fo ught with the
Japanes e agains t the Britis h in Malaya and Burma. When the Britis h mo ved to
try the leaders o f the INA fo r treas o n after the war, the co mbinatio n o f o utrage
in the Indian military and po pular revuls io n agains t the Britis h exercis e o f
jus tice was a crucial facto r in G reat Britain granting Indian independence.
So , by an alternate reading o f his to ry, Japan can claim credit fo r the
deco lo niz atio n o f India as well as Malays ia and Burma.
Prime Minis ter Singhs attitude to the po tent s ymbo lis m o f the Pal dis s ent and
the Japanes e deco lo niz atio n narrative was dis played in Singhs to as t to
Japanes e Prime Minis ter Ko iz umi in 20 0 5:
The dissenting judgment of Justice Radha Binod Pal is well-known to the Japanese
people and will always symbolize the affection and regard our people have for your
country.
O n D ecember 14, 20 0 6 , Singh upgraded Pals judgment to principled and an
expres s io n o f Indian-Japan s o lidarity in his s peech in the Japanes e D iet. He
s tated:

Pa l a t Ya suk uni Shri ne

"The principled judgment o f Jus tice Radhabino d Pal after the War is
remembered even to day in Japan. Ladies and G entlemen, thes e events
reflect the depth o f o ur friends hip and the fact that we have s to o d by
each o ther at critical mo ments in o ur his to ry."

This do es no t lo o k like a matter o f pars ing the legal and mo ral flaws Pal detected in the war crimes tribunal. It lo o ks as if Singhs
heart, like Pals was with Japanand its view that Japan was unfairly s tigmatiz edand China unneces s arily benefitedby the
narrative o f Japanes e natio nal criminal aggres s io n in Wo rld War II.
As generatio nal memo ries fade o f the mis eries inflicted as a res ult o f Japans rampage thro ugh As ia, res urrecting the co mfo rting
abs tractio n o f the Japan deco lo niz atio n narrative is a po tent po litical and diplo matic weapo n fo r 21 s t century As ian po liticians
interes ted in the po s s ibility o f a new, mo re Japan-centric s ecurity o rder--des pite the fact that Japan has to be dis creet in wielding it
in the pres ence o f the United States , which is co mpletely ves ted in the G reates t G eneratio n/triumph o ver evil vers io n.
The fact that the o vert anti-China/pro -Japan tilt is a ris ky bet and, to a certain extent, Japan needs early and active Indian buy-in fo r
the Abe gambit to s ucceed, make it appear that Singh decided to fo llo w his heart and match Abes bo ldnes s with his o wn.
Singh did no t have to endo rs e that reliable if s o mewhat mis leading anti-Chines e bugbear freedo m o f navigatio n and claim an o vert
Indian s trategic ro le in Eas t As ia thro ugh the Lo o k Eas t po licy.
But he did s o in his remarks in To kyo .
Our Look East engagement began with a strong economic emphasis, but it has become increasingly strategic in its content.

Our relationship with Japan has been at the heart of our Look East Policy. Japan inspired Asia's surge to prosperity and it remains integral to Asias
future. The world has a huge stake in Japans success in restoring the momentum of its growth. Your continued leadership in enterprise,
technology and innovation and your ability to remain the locomotive of Asian renaissance are crucial. India's relations with Japan are important not
only for our economic development, but also because we see Japan as a natural and indispensable partner in our quest for stability and peace in
the vast region in Asia that is washed by the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Our relations draw their strength from our spiritual, cultural and
civilizational affinities and a shared commitment to the ideals of democracy, peace and freedom. We have increasingly convergent world views and
growing stakes in each others prosperity. We have shared interests in maritime security and we face similar challenges to our energy security.
There are strong synergies between our economies, which need an open, rule-based international trading system to prosper.
Fo r o uts ide o bs ervers , Indias o vert buy-in validates the idea o f the anti-China pivo t and reinfo rces the narrative that the PRC is a
ro gue acto r that needs co ntainment.
G lo bal Times talked to ugh o n the o ccas io n o f the Singh vis it, putting the o nus o n Abe o nce again but pres umably als o s ending a
mes s age to India no t to end up o n the wro ng s ide o f ( lo ng term) his to ry ( as well as reas s uring its elf that, des pite the unfavo rable
s et o f current circums tances , the PRC will co me o ut o n to p in the end) :
It will take time for Japan to face the reality that the once only great power in East Asia has to give way to China, whose GDP and marine strength
will surpass that of Japan. The process will be tougher for Japan, which will be sincerely convinced some day. The day will come sooner or later.
The little tricks that Japan is playing are nothing but a struggle for self-comfort, which will not affect the development of Asia. Japan is trying
every means to hide its decline against China in order to boost its national morale, but China does not need to compete with Japan to regain
confidence and prove its strength. The conflict between China and Japan should not be regarded as a "strategic" game. In fact, the overall
strategic future of Japan and China has already been determined. Gains and losses incurred by the frictions between China and Japan make no
difference to the futures of either country. There is no need for China to exert too much energy on Japan. As a growing but young giant, Chinese
society will unavoidably have to deal with various conflicts with Japan. It will be a long journey for China to become mature enough so that a real
great power will emerge with confidence. This is not a final showdown between China and Japan, neither is it an opportunity for China to mend its
broken fences with Japan. All China should do is "take it easy." China should be aware that Japanese tricks can never impact China strategy. China
should take the initiative to decide when and how seriously we respond to it.

But maybe Singh s ees a o nce-in-a-career o ppo rtunity fo r ro llback agains t the PRC with Abe in Japan, the US in Myanmar, and Chinas
pro blems with ASEAN o n a pro lo nged, ugly bo il.
It is already clear that India is s lo w-walking its nego tiatio ns with the PRC o ver a free trade agreement. If India and Japan bo th ins is t
that Chinas pro po s ed regio nal trade z o ne regime, the RCEP, needs to lo o k mo re like the TPP, the nego tiating initiative fo r all o f the
regio ns trade pacts may s witch o ver to Japan and India.
The PRC appears to have decided it is a go o d idea to draw clo s er to the United States ( which Abe is dis creetly s ho uldering as ide as
he purs ues his Japan-centric initiatives and pro mo tes his vis io n o f Japan as a victim o f victo rs jus tice) , and declare allegiance to
the Wo rld War II narrative that exalts US leaders hip and Japans demo tio n to s elf-defens e fo rce quarantine.
PRC premier, Li Keqiang, fo und hims elf in the unlikely po s itio n o f trying to reawaken no s talgia fo r the Po ts dam declaratio nwhich
mandated the return to their o wners o f territo ries like Taiwan, the Pes cado res , and Manchuria that Japan had s to lenduring his trip
to G ermany. Beyo nd giving the PRC s o me kind o f claim to the Senkakus , invo king the Po ts dam declaratio n is pro bably meant to
remind the United States o f a happier time when the Wes ts writ was res pectfully ackno wledged and no t co vertly defied by the
s ubjugated and defeated natio ns o f As ia.
O n the o ther hand, if the weakened yen and Abes frenetic regio nal deal making fail to keep the Nikkei aflo at and the lo ng-expected
revuls io n agains t Japanes e bo nds ( and the 240 % o f G D P natio nal debt they fund) materializ es and s pikes Japans bo rro wing co s ts ,
Japan will be licking its wo unds a few mo nths fro m no w and Singh will face s o me awkward mo ments in dealing with Beijing.
But fo r the time being, the vis io n ( o r, to the PRC, the s pecter) o f an active Japan-India alliance inciting and recruiting o ppo s itio n to
Chines e s trategic and eco no mic penetratio n in As ia o ffers the pro s pect o f a po tentially far-reaching rejuggling o f Pacific
relatio ns hips .
Peter Lee writes on East and South Asian affairs and their intersection with US global policy. He is the moving force behind the Asian affairs
website China Matters which provides continuing critical updates on China and Asia-Pacific policies. His work frequently appears at Asia Times.
This is a revised and expanded version of an article that appeared at As ia Times .
Recommended citation: Peter Lee, "India Places Its Asian Bet on Japan: Roiling the Waters of the Asia-Pacific," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol 11,
Issue 24, No. 3, June 17, 2013.
Re l a t e d subje ct s
P K Sundaram, The Emerging Japan-India Relatio ns hip: Nuclear Anachro nis m, Militaris m and G ro wth Fetis h
Rajeev Sharma, India-Japan Ties Po is ed fo r Advance as Bo th Natio ns Eye China
G avan McCo rmack, Much Ado o ver Small Is lands : The Sino -Japanes e Co nfro ntatio n o ver Senkaku/D iao yu
Yabuki Sus umu, China-Japan Territo rial Co nflicts and the US-Japan-China Relatio ns in His to rical and Co ntempo rary Pers pective
Lio nel Fatto n, The Pando ras Bo x o f So vereignty Co nflicts : Far-reaching regio nal co ns equences o f Japans natio naliz atio n o f the
Senkakus
Ivy Lee & Fang Ming, D eco ns tructing Japans Claim o f So vereignty o ver the D iao yu/Senkaku Is lands
Wani Yukio , Barren Senkaku Natio nalis m and China-Japan Co nflict
G avan McCo rmack, Tro ubled Seas : Japans Pacific and Eas t China Sea D o mains ( and Claims )
G avan McCo rmack, Small Is lands Big Pro blem: Senkaku/D iao yu and the Weight o f His to ry and G eo graphy in China-Japan
Relatio ns
Wada Haruki, Res o lving the China-Japan Co nflict O ver the Senkaku/D iao yu Is lands
Peter Lee, High Stakes G amble as Japan, China and the U.S. Spar in the Eas t and So uth China Sea
Tanaka Sakai, Rekindling China-Japan Co nflict: The Senkaku/D iao yutai Is lands Clas h

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