New Delhi, March 31: India, Japan and China need to build a trilateral strategic axis for better co-ordination among themselves, ambassador Yasukuni Enoki said today.

The new Japanese envoy, however, made it clear that the move had not formally taken off and much work had to be done before it took final shape.

The issue had not been discussed with China and it could take some time to get off the ground.

The ambassador today made it clear that Tokyo regarded India as an emerging power in Asia all set to play a pivotal role in the world in the future.

Japan’s perception of India has undergone a dramatic change since the time it recalled its ambassador from New Delhi, in protest against India’s nuclear tests.

Ties with Japan have now mended and are on the upswing.

Ambassador Enoki went out of his way to praise India’s new image as a responsible power that has announced a moratorium on nuclear tests and had so far stringently ensured a non-proliferation regime.

“It is so unlike Pakistan, which has not been as particular,” the envoy said. But he stopped short of blaming President Pervez Musharraf’s government.

“We still do not have any information whether Pakistan as a government was involved in passing nuclear technology to North Korea, or whether it was the work of individuals. We cannot say anything till there is conclusive proof,” the ambassador explained.