Yoshihiro Kiyonaga (The Yomiuri Shimbun), The Asia News Network, New Delhi, India | Fri, 12/30/2011 10:29 AM
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on Wednesday signed a joint statement enhancing cooperation in maritime security activities in the Indian Ocean.
Noda and Singh held talks at the Hyderabad House, an Indian government guesthouse, and agreed to boost the "Strategic and Global Partnership" between the two countries in fields of security and the economy.
The statement said the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy would conduct joint exercises next year.
Noda and Singh also agreed that negotiations should proceed concerning a bilateral agreement on peaceful nuclear energy cooperation.
"Japan and India share values and strategic interests," Noda said at a press conference after the summit with Singh. "This expansion in cooperation has immense significance."
"As Asian maritime nations, we share vital interests concerning maritime security, including the safety of sea lanes [in the Indian Ocean]," Noda said in a speech before the summit talks at a New Delhi hotel that was organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs.
In the speech, Noda also stressed the importance of the cooperation between the MSDF and the Indian Navy in confronting pirates in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, calling the planned exercises a significant step forward.
Observers said Noda focused on expanding cooperation in maritime security in his meeting with Singh because of the critical importance of maintaining safe sea lanes in the Indian Ocean for Japan, which depends heavily on energy sources, including crude oil, imported by ship from the Middle East.
Through a stronger partnership with India, Japan was also looking to put pressure on China, the observers said, which has intensified its activities in the high seas recently.
The recent statement follows several expansions in security ties between Japan and India. The two countries released a joint security statement in October 2008 when Taro Aso was prime minister, and first held vice ministerial-level talks between officials from the nations' foreign and defense ministries in July 2010.
Concerns over China's efforts to expand its maritime interests is behind these moves, according to the observers. Japan has clashed recently with China over issues in the East China Sea, primarily concerning the Senkaku Islands.
India, for its part, has been wary of China's aim of strengthening its presence in South Asia by helping countries around India build port facilities.
Japan and the United States called India a strong and reliable partner in Asia in their strategic targets agreed on in June. The three nations have made moves toward developing a trilateral partnership, with the first meeting of senior officials held in Washington on Dec. 19.
