Mr. Brahma Chellaney, is Narendra Modi "India's Shinzo Abe"? Only time can tell! It is true that voters in India and Japan longed for a strong leadership after years of economic stagnation and political paralysis. The two countries share quite a bit in common. Both India and Japan embrace similar democratic values and have had unresolved border issues with China. In light of the territorial disputes between China and various Asian nations, India and Japan join forces to promote "regional stability" and block "the rise of a Sino-centric Asia". Moreover the two are also members of the Group of Four (G4), a body pushing for reforming the UN. Each is backing the other's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Mr. Chellaney, it's unclear if Modi's "Abe’s soft nationalism" would be translated into "new Asianism" , in the absence of unity and shared identity across Asia. The continent is culturally and ethnically much diverse. Prosperity and growth have in recent years fueled nationalism.

Mr. Chellaney, if Modi still bears a grudge against the many governments, that treated him as a pariah, as a result of the 2002 riots in Gujarat, then he lacks statesmanship. Japan had not particularly "courted" Modi, when Shinzo Abe visted India in 2007. The then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Shinzo Abe wanted to improve their commercial relationship, since Tokyo imposed severe economic sanctions on Delhi following India's nuclear tests in 1998. As Japan saw growth potential in the Indian market, the two countries drew closer together. Japanese companies were excited by the opportunities there.

Modi visited Japan in 2007 and 2012 as chief-minister of Gujarat and was opening new avenues for Japanese investment in his business-friendly home state. He had the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) to thank for forging "a special relationship with Japan" and building a "personal rapport with Abe". Japan was the main foreign financial backer of the $90bn DMIC - a project that created industrial parks and special economic zones across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

It' true that "Modi’s victory is likely to turn Indo-Japanese ties – Asia’s fastest-developing bilateral relationship". Japan is the largest foreign investor in improving India's poor infrastructure and Japanese firms have identified potential areas of investment around the corridor, which is the most populated and most industrialised regions in India. They are competing against each other, offering cheap skilled and unskilled labour.

Modi had made Gujarat an economic powerhouse. If he plans to revive India's economy, he will have to improve the country's infrastructure. His government will have to invest at least $300 bn in the next five years. This will no doubt require a lot of foreign investment. Japan, which has already spent more than $46bn may still be willing to help.

