JAPAN’S visionary Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited India at a very significant time. This dynamic leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, who envisaged the grand idea of an “Arc of Freedom and Prosperity” stretching from the far east of Asia to the east of Europe, was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations this year.

The man, who many believe has shaken things up in Asia, was expected to give a boost to arguably Asia’s fastest growing relationship between the continent’s second and third largest economies. Not many in India have forgotten his remarkable speech delivered in the Indian Parliament in 2007, wherein Abe envisioned the strategic concept of “broader Asia” — a network of like-minded nations engaged in the pursuit of a vision that seeks to promote free flow of people, goods, capital and knowledge across the continent and beyond. While this growing bonhomie between New Delhi and Tokyo is looked upon by a section in India as the nation’s diligent attempt to enhance her strategic heft vis-à-vis China, Indo-Japan relationship however dates back to the early nineteenth century.

“Such outburst of sincerity was owing to the fact that Japan felt the nearness of India to herself” observed the great Indian bard and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. He sincerely felt that Japan’s traditional magnanimity would ultimately inspire the country to expand beyond her boundaries and that of modern time. An opinion survey commissioned by the Japanese Foreign Ministry has found that as high as 95 percent of Indian citizens were convinced of Japan’s reliability as a friend and even sought greater Japanese business presence on Indian soil. Indians, in fact, have nurtured a positive attitude toward Japanese culture and history especially because of Japan’s wholehearted support to the Indian freedom movement. Moreover, Japan is an indispensable economic partner of India and has been the leading source of capital and technology. New Delhi is by far the largest recipient of Japanese aid, which has helped the South Asian giant to take massive strides in infrastructure development. Economic cooperation between India and Japan, originating in the 1950s, does offer a reciprocal win-win opportunity to both the nations. As per India’s Planning Commission assessment, the country is in desperate need of around $1 trillion of investment for upgrading infrastructure, so essential to ease supply-side constraints in national growth.

Japanese development assistance has in these circumstances come in handy for the Indian government — struggling to curb fiscal profligacy — as it eases the burden of borrowing from the market. Japan too reaps benefit by way of earning extra income through loan interests as the Japanese economy struggles to stimulate growth. Additionally, with Japanese businesses seeking an alternative market in Asia in the backdrop of an increasing volatility in Sino-Japanese relationship, India certainly presents the most lucrative platform. Besides, her relationship with Japan is devoid of any tension arising out of ideological, cultural or territorial dispute. India seems to have seized the opportunity presented by Prime Minister Abe with both hands by inviting Japanese financial and technological investment especially in the development of the country’s politically sensitive northeastern fringes.

Perhaps New Delhi is eager to take a leaf out of the much talked about “Abenomics” not only to improve the nation’s economic clout but also maintain a liberal international order that is free of any bullying. India’s north-east is suffering for long due to infrastructure deficiency and has thus become the stranglehold of organizations inimical to the idea of a united India as they go about spreading illegal activities ranging from arms to drug trafficking.

By asking Japanese companies to share their expertise in building road infrastructure, aiding agricultural value-chain development, collaborate in forestry to promote sustainable management in the sector plus preserving the regions’ unique flora and enhancing water supply and sewerage infrastructure, the Indian government has effectively killed two birds with one stone. That India has dared to invite foreign investment in a part of her territory that China has been consistently claiming to be its own is in itself a significant political statement aimed at Beijing. In fact, China has previously opposed Asian Development Bank funding for infrastructure development and water projects in the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh and even urged restraint from the financial institution in what the Chinese officials perceived to be brazen interference in the political affairs of member states. Most importantly, Tokyo’s active involvement in a strategically vital region, where the fond memories of Japanese cooperation in Indian freedom struggle are still preserved, will help establish a Japan-anchored tranquility. However, New Delhi needs to realize at the same time that making China-bashing the cornerstone of India’s Japan policy will be highly counterproductive from a strategic perspective. Last but not the least, India should extend the productive cooperation to the health sector — hitherto ignored in bilateral discourse — for exploiting the immense benefits of traditional Japanese-Oriental medicine because the country desperately needs new form of treatments to universalize affordable health care for all.

• Seema Sengupta is a Kolkata-based journalist and columnist.