The India-Japan partnership is one of the important thrust areas of Japan’s new foreign policy. In the recent past, except for Mori, Koizumi, and Abe, other prime ministers have shown little enthusiasm for improving their relationship with India. However, that trend seems to be changing.
As per the UN High-Level Panel Report on Threats, Challenges, and Changes [titled ‘A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility’], two options were recommended for broadening the current representation of the UN Security Council. This was done primarily to provide geographical balance and change power equations since the end of World War II and the creation of the United Nations.
Just as India is vying for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, Japan equally hopes for a larger role in the future of world affairs. Since Kofi Annan’s announcement in September 2004 of possibly increasing the permanent membership seats to nine from five, India and Japan, two of Asia’s powerhouses, pressed for their recognition. Indeed, one is the second most populous nation and the other holds the second largest economy, it seems fitting for them to have a say in future world affairs.
Two piracy attacks in less than a fortnight on Japanese flagged vessels transiting through the Malacca Strait have shaken up the government in Tokyo as also the national shipping agencies. On March 14, armed pirates in three fishing boats boarded a Japanese-flag ocean tug MV Idaten towing a large construction barge Kurooshia, for Myanmar in the Straits of Malacca. They kidnapped the Japanese Master and two engineers. Later, the Royal Malaysian police patrol boats escorted the tug and towed the vessel to Penang.
Amidst security threats, sporadic bomb blasts, and international criticism towards one of the member states (Myanmar), the tenth ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) summit successfully laid out its plans to achieve the objectives of ASEAN Vision 2020 on November 29-30 in Vientiane, Capital city of Laos.