India-Japan 60th Anniversary Global Partnership

Vision for the Enhancement of India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership upon entering the year of the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations

December 28, 2011

1. The Prime Minister of Japan, H.E. Mr. Yoshihiko Noda, is currently paying a State Visit to India for the Annual Summit of the Prime Ministers on 27-28 December 2011 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, H.E. Dr. Manmohan Singh. The two Prime Ministers held extensive talks on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest on 28 December 2011.

2. In the context of the two countries commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2012, the two Prime Ministers reaffirmed that India and Japan enjoy deep mutual understanding and vibrant people-to-people contact as the relationship is based on universal values such as democracy, human rights and rule of law, as well as wide-ranging strategic and economic interests. They stressed the need to enhance the Strategic and Global Partnership for peace and prosperity.

3. Prime Minister Noda expressed, on behalf of the Government and people of Japan, his profound gratitude for the heartfelt sympathy and support extended to them from the Government and people of India following the Great East Japan Earthquake, and emphasised his resolve to make utmost efforts for a reconstruction open to the world. Prime Minister Singh reiterated his solidarity with Japan and expressed his confidence that the people of Japan will overcome the calamity with their unwavering spirit and that Japan’s economy will recover to its full strength soon. Prime Minister Singh welcomed Japan’s initiative to strengthen international cooperation in the area of disaster risk reduction, including the holding of an international conference in the Tohoku region in 2012. Prime Minister Noda conveyed his decision to invite approximately six hundred Indian youth under the new “Kizuna (bond) Project” aimed at promoting global understanding of Japan’s revival in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Prime Minister Singh welcomed the project and assured cooperation by the Government of India for its success

4. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the significance of Annual Summits between them. They expressed satisfaction at Ministerial-level and other policy dialogues such as those between Foreign Ministers and Defense Ministers. They noted that the Ministerial Level Economic Dialogue, to be held at the earliest possible opportunity in 2012, would further enhance their economic partnership by giving it strategic and long-term policy orientation. The two Prime Ministers expressed hope that the India-Japan Ministerial Business-Government Policy Dialogue between the Minister of Commerce and Industry of India and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan will be held in 2012. The two Prime Ministers stressed the importance of various working-level discussions between the two countries, and welcomed the launch of the India-Japan-US trilateral dialogue, which would deepen strategic and global partnership amongst the three countries.

5. Recognising the growing security and defense cooperation between the two countries, the two Prime Ministers welcomed the bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to be held in 2012.

6. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the entry into force of India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 1 August 2011. Asserting that CEPA is an important milestone in the trade and economic relations between the two countries, they expressed hope that CEPA will further deepen their economic engagement in terms of trade in goods, services, investment and contribute immensely to mutual prosperity.

7. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the commencement of negotiations on an agreement between India and Japan on Social Security, which will contribute to the promotion of economic activities by private sectors of both countries. They instructed their relevant authorities to work towards an early conclusion of the negotiations.

8. Prime Minister Singh expressed his appreciation to the Government and the people of Japan for their unwavering support to India's development, even in the midst of Japan’s reconstruction efforts following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Prime Minister Noda reaffirmed that the Government of Japan would continue to provide its Official Development Assistance (ODA) at a substantial level to encourage India’s efforts towards social and economic development including in the area of infrastructure development. In this context, Prime Minister Noda pledged that the Government of Japan would extend loans totaling 134.288 billion yen to two new projects, namely, “Delhi Mass Rapid Transport System Project Phase III” and “West Bengal Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Project” as the projects of first batch in the fiscal year 2011. Prime Minister Singh appreciated the commitment by Prime Minister Noda.

9. The two Prime Ministers emphasised the importance of an early realisation of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) which runs through the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) with Japan’s support. In this context, both sides will expedite work on Phase II of the DFC with a view to starting implementation of the project as early as possible.

10. The two Prime Ministers shared the vision for the development of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) that the governments and private sectors of the two countries cooperate in a mutually complementary manner to develop an environmentally sustainable, long-lasting and technologically advanced infrastructure in the region of DMIC. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the launch of a 9 billion dollar India-Japan DMIC facility. Noting the significant progress made by India’s contribution of a 175 billion rupee fund for development of trunk infrastructure, Prime Minister Noda announced the intention of the Government of Japan to make available for DMIC projects Japan’s public and private finance totaling 4.5 billion dollars in the next five years, which includes appropriate financing from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) as well as ODA loan. The two Prime Ministers felt that the DMIC Project would redefine the character of infrastructure growth in India through advanced technology and green growth.

They also felt that active involvement of Japanese agencies and companies would provide an impetus for the development of DMIC. Towards this end, they welcomed Japan’s active involvement through equity participation in DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC) as well as provision of technical expertise, board members and experts. In order to effectively utilise the facility and to facilitate investments by Japanese companies, India will endeavour to resolve issues within the existing regulatory framework and guidelines of capital regulations, and an inter-departmental consultation mechanism will also be established by India to provide expeditious solutions to issues raised by Japan during the course of implementation of the DMIC Project. To meet the energy requirements in the DMIC region, adequate gas for power projects of DMIC would be made available at reasonable rates and in a timely manner. They expressed satisfaction at the steady progress of the individual Early Bird Projects and Smart Community Projects in the DMIC. In particular, the two Prime Ministers decided to accelerate the efforts by the relevant authorities for an early realisation of the following projects: seawater desalination at Dahej, Gujarat; a microgrid system using large-scale photo-voltaic (PV) power generation at Neemrana Industrial Area in Rajasthan; and gas-fired independent power producer (IPP) in Maharashtra, recognising their potential to serve as a successful model of India-Japan cooperation on the DMIC.

11. The two Prime Ministers stressed the importance of infrastructure development in the areas between Chennai and Bengaluru, where an increasing number of Japanese companies including SMEs have made direct investments to establish their manufacturing base or other forms of business presence. Against this background, they decided to strengthen efforts to improve infrastructure such as ports, industrial parks and their surrounding facilities in Ennore, Chennai and the adjoining areas. Prime Minister Noda conveyed Japan’s intention to extend financial and technical support to the preparation of India’s Comprehensive Integrated Master Plan of this region based on which planned development and work on related facilities could be taken up expeditiously. The two Prime Ministers directed their officials concerned to speedily operationalise the modalities for preparation of the Comprehensive Integrated Master Plan and get it completed at the earliest.

12. Prime Minister Noda expressed his desire that Japan’s technologies and expertise be utilised in the development of India’s high-speed railway system. Prime Minister Singh welcomed Japan’s interest in promoting the development of high-speed railway system in India.

13. Recognising the importance of upgradation of speed of passenger trains to 160-200 kmph on existing Delhi-Mumbai route of the western leg of the Golden Rail Corridor for India’s economic development, the two Prime Ministers looked forward to continued cooperation. They welcomed the progress of pre-feasibility study with Japan’s financial and technical assistance, and expressed hope that the final report will be ready by February 2012 and feasibility study of the project will be undertaken with Japan’s cooperation in 2012.

14. The two Prime Ministers recognised the importance of cooperation in the development of expressways in India including through capacity building.

15. Amid global economic uncertainties, ensuring the stability of the financial markets is all the more important for the stable economic development of the two countries. To this end, the two Prime Ministers decided to enhance the earlier bilateral currency swap arrangement from 3 to 15 billion US dollars. The two Prime Ministers expressed hope that this enhancement will further strengthen financial cooperation, contribute to ensuring financial market stability and further develop growing economic and trade ties between the two countries.

16. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the importance of civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries. Prime Minister Noda stated that Japan would provide information with transparency regarding the status of the ongoing investigation on the causes of the nuclear accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, as well as its efforts to enhance nuclear safety. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the progress made to date in negotiations between India and Japan on an Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, and directed their negotiators to exert further efforts towards a conclusion of the Agreement, having due regard to each side’s relevant interests, including nuclear safety. In this regard, Prime Minister Noda explained Japan’s position.

17. The two Prime Ministers reiterated the importance of energy cooperation. In this context, they expressed hope that the 5th meeting of the India-Japan Energy Dialogue will be held in 2012.

18. Recognising the importance of rare earths and rare metals in industries of both countries, the two Prime Ministers decided to enhance bilateral cooperation in this area by enterprises of their countries. They decided that Indian and Japanese enterprises would jointly undertake industrial activities to produce and export rare earths at the earliest.

19. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the progress made in 2011 on facilitation of trade in high technology between the two countries. They asked the relevant authorities to maintain dialogue to maximise the potential of high technology trade keeping in mind the strategic partnership between the two countries.

20. The two Prime Ministers welcomed progress on bilateral engagements in Science and Technology (S&T), including the India-Japan Cooperative Science Programme. The maturity of the S&T relationship is reflected in the cutting edge joint R&D projects being implemented in frontier areas like molecular sciences, advanced materials including surface & interface sciences, modern biology & biotechnology, astronomy & space sciences, and manufacturing sciences. The establishment of a beam-line facility at the Photon Factory of KEK, Tsukuba preferentially for use by Indian researchers in the area of material sciences is another aspect of the mature S&T relationship. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the developments under “Committee on India-Japan ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Strategy for Economic Growth”, including joint researches in the fields of mobile broadcasting and e-learning systems. They shared the view that they will further enhance business tie-ups, explore opportunities for Japanese industries in electronics system design and manufacturing in India, collaborative R&D activities and policy cooperation in the field of ICT including smart network and digital contents, through close bilateral cooperation.

21. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the expansion of India-Japan collaboration for the development of the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H) including campus development, and the steady progress in the establishment of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur (IIITDM-J) with Japan’s support. The two Prime Ministers appreciated the progress of the Visionary Leaders for Manufacturing (VLFM) Programme and acknowledged that the programme not only helps India’s manufacturing sector but has become a showcase of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. They welcomed the extension of the programme till March 2013. The two Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction that since 2007, approximately 2,300 Indian youth have visited Japan through “Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youth” (JENESYS) programme, and expressed their resolve to continue efforts to facilitate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

22. The two Prime Ministers expressed their expectation that the strengthening of cooperation in creative industries, which range from design, apparel, fashion, food, house-hold goods, music, movies, animation and manga, and traditional craft, would further promote and deepen mutual understanding of the two countries.

23. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their support for the East Asia Summit (EAS) as a forum for dialogue on broad strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia. They acknowledged the significant role the EAS can play as a forum for building an open, inclusive and transparent architecture of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. They welcomed the participation of the United States of America and the Russian Federation in the EAS. They expressed support for the EAS as a Leaders-led forum with ASEAN as the driving force. In the context of the Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations and the Declaration on ASEAN Connectivity adopted at the 6th EAS, the two Prime Ministers reiterated their commitment to the promotion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) as a step towards attaining economic integration in East Asia. They also welcomed the progress to establish ASEAN Plus Working Groups and decided to cooperate in the Groups. They also expressed their support for ASEAN Connectivity and considered the possibility of having a “Connectivity Master Plan Plus” which would develop further linkages between ASEAN and its partners, with appropriate reference to the “Comprehensive Asia Development Plan”, and welcomed support and inputs from Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) for attaining economic integration in East Asia. They noted with satisfaction that CEPA between India and Japan is an important step for regional integration.

24. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the commitment of India and Japan, as two maritime nations in Asia, to the universally-agreed principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other relevant international maritime law. They affirmed expansion of cooperation in maritime security including safety and freedom of navigation and anti-piracy activities, by promoting bilateral and multilateral exercises, and through information sharing, as well as dialogues. In this context, they also welcomed the joint exercise between the Indian Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard to be held in January 2012.

25. The two Prime Ministers appreciated the progress made with regard to the establishment of the Nalanda University and reiterated their support to its revival as an icon of Asian renaissance and as an international institute of excellence. India welcomed Japan’s intention to provide tangible contribution to this initiative including through measures to enhance academic exchange and human resource development.

26. The two Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction that three rounds of India-Japan Dialogue on Africa have been concluded. They expressed satisfaction that areas of cooperation on Africa have been identified including peace keeping operations and economic development.

27. The two Prime Ministers expressed their commitment to continuing their assistance to Afghanistan so that it would become a stable, democratic and pluralistic state, free from terrorism and extremism. They emphasised the importance of a coherent and united international commitment to Afghan-led initiatives, in order to make transition irreversible through reconciliation and re-integration, sustainable development and regional cooperation, while adhering to the principles expressed in the Bonn Conference. In this context, Prime Minister Singh welcomed Japan’s intention to host a ministerial conference in Tokyo in July 2012. The two Prime Ministers pledged to explore opportunities for consultation on their respective assistance projects, including those projects implemented in the neighbouring countries, that advance Afghanistan’s mid- and long-term development and build its civilian capacity.

28. The two Prime Ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purpose. Prime Minister Noda strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on 13 July 2011 and in Delhi on 7 September 2011. They resolved to develop greater cooperation in combating terrorism through sharing information and utilising the India-Japan Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, as well as cooperation in multilateral forums such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF). Reaffirming the importance of counter-terrorism cooperation at the United Nations, the two Prime Ministers recognised the urgent need to finalise and adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations and called upon all States to cooperate in resolving the outstanding issues expeditiously.

29. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their shared commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Noda stressed the importance of bringing into force the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) at an early date. Prime Minister Singh reiterated India's commitment to a unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to working together for immediate commencement and an early conclusion of negotiations on a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) in the Conference on Disarmament, bearing in mind the United Nations General Assembly resolution on “Treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices” (A/RES/66/44). They decided that both countries would enhance cooperation in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation through dialogues, including at bilateral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation meetings as well as at the Conference on Disarmament. They reiterated that nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing processes. They called upon the need to address the challenges of nuclear terrorism and clandestine proliferation. They also reaffirmed the importance of working together towards the success of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in March 2012.

30. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the outcome of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban in December 2011 and stressed the need for maintaining close cooperation to ensure a mutually acceptable outcome of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. Prime Minister Noda emphasised the importance of global efforts toward low-carbon growth and climate resilient world, referring to Japan’s vision and actions to that end. In this context, the two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the need to strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation to promote sustainable development, including actions for GHG emissions reductions, promotion of low-carbon technologies, products and services, etc. Prime Minister Singh noted the East Asia Low Carbon Growth Partnership Initiative proposed by Prime Minister Noda at the East Asia Summit. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed that the two countries cooperate with each other for a successful outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012. The two Prime Ministers expressed their hope for the success of the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP11) to be held in Hyderabad, India in 2012.

31. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their resolve to realise reform of the United Nations Security Council, including its expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories. They concurred in participating actively on this basis in the intergovernmental negotiations in the UN General Assembly and decided to redouble their efforts, so as to make the Security Council more representative, legitimate, effective, and responsive to the realities of the international community in the 21st century.

32. The two Prime Ministers expressed their resolve to continue to maintain and strengthen multilateral trading system, based on the outcome of the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Geneva this month.

33. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the role of the G-20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation that offers opportunities for developed and emerging countries to have discussions and promote cooperation. Considering various risks that the world economy is facing today, they reiterated their commitment to ensure effective implementation of the G-20 Cannes Summit decisions including the Cannes Action Plan, which aims to achieve the Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth. They expressed concern over the slowing of global economic growth and tensions in the financial markets due to sovereign risks in Europe. They shared an expectation that the decisions of the European Council of 9 December 2011 towards stabilisation of the financial markets and strengthening of economic policy coordination and governance would be implemented effectively and in a timely manner through coordinated efforts by the European leaders. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment made at G-20 Cannes Summit on anti-protectionism.

34. The two Prime Ministers expressed their determination to promote their cooperative efforts in the remaining period for attaining the Millennium Development Goals and even beyond 2015, focusing on individuals and human welfare.

35. Prime Minister Noda expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality of Prime Minister Singh and the Government of India. Prime Minister Noda extended an invitation to Prime Minister Singh for the next Annual Bilateral Summit in Japan in 2012 at a mutually convenient date to be decided through diplomatic channels. Prime Minister Singh accepted the invitation with pleasure.

New Delhi
December 28, 2011

Dr. Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of the Republic of India

Mr. Yoshihiko Noda Prime Minister of Japan