The New Delhi summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, last week served as an important reminder on how dependable friendships can help nations navigate particularly choppy global waters. For the first time in decades, India is being forced to reckon with the reality that its gamble on deepening ties with the United States of America might be giving diminishing returns. This is especially true in the Indo-Pacific region, where the US, for all of its might, appears ready to strike its own deals with China, leaving allies and partners in the lurch. Commitments to groupings like the Quad now appear to be dodgy investments. The recent US decision to return its regional headquarters to its original name, the Pacific Command, after previously referring to the region as the Indo-Pacific, underscores how Indian sensitivities are no longer important to Washington, at least under President Donald Trump. The challenges posed by a changing US approach are also felt by Japan, which has long counted on America’s security umbrella in a neighbourhood with nuclear-armed adversaries in China and North Korea. Now, like India, Japan no longer knows if it can count on the US to come to its defence if threatened — or worse, attacked.
Against that backdrop, it is not surprising that India and Japan have chosen to try and ramp up an already strong relationship. During Ms Takaichi’s visit, the two countries agreed to start joint development of naval antennas, a project that could set the template for similar, more ambitious, military projects that they could undertake together. At a time when both India and Japan have grappled with major oil shortages because of the war on Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the decision they have now taken to work together on energy security could help them both in future crises. Yet, the most critical takeaway from the Japanese leader’s visit was the reassurance it brought to both capitals that their deep and enduring trust lasts in an otherwise fluid, shifting world. Japan has not forgotten how Indian mineral resources helped it rebuild after World War II. India remembers how Japan bailed it out during the 1991 balance of payments crisis. The rules-based order that helped them both rise has now collapsed. If India and Japan stand by each other, they could help shape the next world order.
