The Japanese embrace All it took was a warm letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to calm tempers after his visit to Japan was called off at the last moment in the first week of July. The cancellation was not as upsetting as the fact that Tokyo learnt about it from the media and Japan wasted no time in conveying its discomfort. But what looked like a diplomatic incident was doused quickly.

Narendra Modi meets a group of Japanese delegates during his visit to Tokyo in 2012. Narendra Modi meets a group of Japanese delegates during his visit to Tokyo in 2012.

As it later emerged, the letter was more personal than official, striking the right chords and evoking the same democratic values that bind both countries while making the point about the need to be present during the first week of Parliament's Budget Session. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe understood this without making a fuss and the matter was laid to rest.



In many ways, this also highlighted the personal chemistry between the two leaders, which has developed through the years of Modi's engagement with Japan and growing investments by Japanese companies in Gujarat during his tenure as chief minister. The relative comfort Japanese businesses enjoy in Gujarat has translated into significant political capital for Modi, one that he can now effectively exploit as he embarks on his first bilateral visit to Tokyo. He will also visit the imperial capital Kyoto, a request his predecessor could not honour.

The two countries have enjoyed a strategic partnership for years but the plus side for Modi and Abe is the strategic moment. Japan is in search of new partners in Asia in the backdrop of its deteriorating relationship with China and India is the natural option. Japan is an ageing society while India has a predominantly young population, which is the best fit for sustaining a strong economic partnership, particularly in manufacturing. And lastly, Japan has capital; India desperately needs investment. For a long time, Japan sought to be ambivalent towards Chinese assertiveness, driven largely by entrenched Japanese economic interests in China.

But this has changed in the last couple of years and Abe is the face of this transformation in Japan. His strategic coinage of the arc between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific region as Indo-Pacific has now entered the strategic discourse in Japan, giving India considerable pre-eminence as a partner and a balancer.

It's this rubric that has now fallen in place in terms of practical policy in Tokyo. The move to reinterpret the Japanese Constitution to include the concept of collective self-defence has opened up many possibilities for Japan in exploring defence partnerships. A framework agreement on this is expected to be signed during Modi's visit. Similarly, progress is expected in civil nuclear negotiations although Japan's domestic sensitivities continue to be a major factor.

But beyond this traditional basket of strategic issues, the real opportunity lies in the economic sphere: how to make India a natural destination for Japanese investment. There are roadblocks here, but a Modi-Abe combine can drive confidence into this message. The reason is both represent similar politics.

Abe enjoyed a very healthy equation with the previous prime minister Manmohan Singh, but it was like a professor-student relationship, one which the Japanese PM himself used to acknowledge. At their interactions, Abe would usually defer in respect, especially to Singh's knowledge on economic issues. But with Modi, the similarities are deeper and, perhaps, more current.

Both leaders took an aspirational agenda to their electorate, returned victorious and appear determined to implement it even if that means questioning certain fundamentals.

Abe has initiated Abenomics and also the 'China plus one' policy while Modi is just starting out. Unlike with Singh, Abe can share notes with Modi and connect at a more real and political level. That, and the opportune strategic moment, makes this visit one of the most significant Modi will undertake this year. The economic agenda is full, starting with Japanese collaboration in Modi's plan for 100 smart cities to adopting more industrial corridors, but the intent and commitment is what will have to emerge from this Modi-Abe engagement.

On this score, Modi too is keen despite his healthy image in China. As an insider conversant with the details put it: "Modi has respect for China, but he admires Japan."

Follow the writer on Twitter @pranabsamanta

