Welcomes Japanese PM’s visit to India, which is of economic and social importance to both countries. The Make in India Campaign is attracting serious attention from all over the world and hence this cooperation agreement between India and Japan will be a major boost to campaigns to garner investments in India. This will also create ample employment opportunities to the youth of India.
The most significant part of the visit has undoubtedly been India’s first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, two thriving trade zones of India. As news reports indicate, Japan will be providing soft loans of about $12 billion for the same purpose. We would like to thank the Japanese government for their generosity in granting the loan for a period of 50 years, at an interest rate of 0.1% only. Pleased with this news and wishes the Indian government well in this ambitious venture.
Apart from the promise made by the Japanese PM to establish deeper relations in defense, there is also a call for new age of cooperation in nuclear energy. The deal on civil-nuclear technology is yet to take place. We do hope; for the benefit of both parties that it takes place soon. We also understand Japan’s position as the sole country to have borne the brunt of a nuclear attack. We thus comprehend its concern for a non-proliferation treaty before signing a nuclear deal with India.
Relentless development has rendered scarce the traditional sources for energy. Hence alternate sources need to be identified and brought to the front, nuclear energy being one good alternate energy source.
We are also happy that Japan and India are establishing close relations. They are also, in a way, countering the threat of China as a competitor to India and Japan’s economic growth. The coming together of two great nations also promises to boost trade relations like never before. The two countries will be sharing military information with each other. Moreover, deals on technology and equipment will be part of the interaction between two nations, in the near future. We await the deal for the Japanese aircraft, the sale of which is not yet closed, at the time of writing.
Unconfirmed reports mention legal and technical hurdles cropping up in the way of signing more deals. This should not be considered a discouraging sign. Difficulties in two nations agreeing to terms on a common platform are not uncommon. Optimistic of the prospect of more deals being signed. Since things have started on a high note, we foresee more rewarding deals being signed in year 2016 too. No definite deadline has been set for the final deals being sealed, but this is already a great start, no one should be complaining about the outcome.
Wishes that that at the conclusion of Japanese PM visit; we will receive news on more constructive deals. Exhilarated and thrilled with the pace at which the deals have been concluded, believe this is a moment of reckoning for India, and are happy to be a part of it.