What is Japan's Impact on India? Jaishankar Speaks About 'Maruti and Metro' Revolutions

Describing Japan as the “examplar moderniser,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar praised the Asian power on Friday for its significant impact on India through the “Maruti and Metro” revolutions. Speaking at the India-Japan Forum here, Jaishankar said Japan is the modernising inspiration that is particularly relevant as Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government advances the idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

“For India, and not just for India, for many Asian countries, Japan is in many ways an examplar moderniser. It was Japan’s effort to progress, modernise, and industrialise in the 19th century which became a trendsetter. It is still an example in this age,” Jaishankar said while delivering his address at the India-Japan Forum.

Over Japan’s significant impact on India, the external affairs minister stressed that Japan has “truly unleashed” many revolutions in India.

“There is the Maruti revolution, where it wasn’t just the Suzuki car coming in, it was an entire lifestyle, it was a way of thinking and industrial culture that got changed. Second was the Metro revolution which had a profound impact on the urban infrastructure of India. The third revolution is in the making, the highspeed rail. When we will complete the project, people will see in India, what a transformational impact it will have,” he said.

The minister further spoke of one more possible revolution in the area of critical technologies and semiconductors, adding that there is a huge possibility to work in this field. “If you put them all cumulatively, I think Japan had a powerful impact on manufacturing in India, on our urbanization process, on the organization of the logistics in this country,” he added.

While recognizing Japan’s contribution to India, Jaishankar stressed, with changing times, the relationship now should be more collaborative and localized in nature.

Last year, India and Japan marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and further strengthened the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Earlier this year in May, Prime Minister Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida held talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

The two leaders deliberated on ways to synergise efforts to combat pressing global challenges under India’s G20 presidency and Japan’s leadership of the G7 advanced economies.

Jaishankar’s address comes a day after both ministers reviewed their Special Strategic and Global Partnership. They held discussions on joint collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors. The talks took place in New Delhi as part of the 15th India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue during Hayashi’s ongoing visit.

Jaishankar stated that talks covered a host of issues including, political, defence, economic, critical technology and people-to-people domains. He emphasised the crucial role of a strong and enduring partnership in ensuring a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

The two sides also highlighted the importance of achieving the target of five trillion Yen Japanese investment in India in the period 2022-27.