From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, July 9: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated, was the head of the state from another country in recent memory who was scheduled to visit the Northeast but could not make it.
But the foundation of the mega projects Abe laid during his long seven years of rule are still going on in the Northeast. The India-Japan summit in Guwahati was to be the first such annual summit to be held in the region.
The summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abe was important, given that Japan was expected to invest around Rs 13,000 crore in projects in the eight states of the region. The scheduled summit was cancelled following violent protests in the region over the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB).
These included investments in water supply projects in Guwahati, road network in Assam-Meghalaya, forest management and agriculture projects in other states of the region that serves as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
Japan has been providing loans at negligible interest rates for developmental projects in Northeast India. But even after cancellation of the rare event in the remote region Japan International Cooperation Agency signed an agreement with India to provide USD 610 million for the first phase of the North East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project focusing Meghalaya and Mizoram under Abe’s regime.
Japan has been involved in a big way in Northeast India during Abe’s regime due to a host of factors. There are now a series of projects in Northeast that are proceeding with Japanese assistance most of which were initiated during Abe’s rule.
The project include the Guwahati Water Supply Project, Guwahati Sewage project (Assam), The North-East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project (Assam-Meghalaya), Project for Renovation and Modernisation of the Umiam-Umtru Stage III Hydroelectric Power Station (Meghalaya), Sustainable Catchment Forest Management Project (Tripura), Forest Management Project (Nagaland), Construction of Primary Schools (Manipur), Project on Capacity Enhancement for
Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation Development (Mizoram).
The total Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Japan to Northeast India stood at about two billion US dollars as of date. Most of the funding from Japan came during Abe’s rule.
In addition, the Japanese agency JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) has provided a loan of almost 2.6 lakh US dollars to construct a bridge between Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya. When completed, the 19-kilometre bridge will be India’s longest and will dramatically cut down travel time between the two states.
Abe realised that strategically, Northeast India is where Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” vision meets India’s “Act-East Policy”.
Japan’s FOIP vision talks about Tokyo’s desire to make the Indo-Pacific free and open as international public goods, through ensuring rules-based international order.
In complementary fashion, India’s “Act-East Policy” aims at re-establishing India’s historical linkages with countries in Southeast and East Asia. Japan itself has historically been connected to Northeast India from the days of the Second World War, when Japanese troops had fought alongside the troops of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA).
Abe also was aware of the challenges, given the unique geography and the history of the Northeastern region for Japanese investment. Continuous and heavy rainfall for almost half of the year makes the task of constructing and maintaining roads and other infrastructure projects doubly difficult in the region.
Japan has not invested in Arunachal Pradesh, which is an Indian border state and has been claimed by China.
Any future Japanese investment in Arunachal Pradesh is likely to encounter problems, something which Japan may not be keen on.
Despite the challenges, there are some clear advantages for Japan from investing in this region too. A major consideration is the proximity of Northeast India to important neighbours including next-door Myanmar and Bangladesh, where Japan already has big investments.
Second, Japanese cultural influences have already seeped into the region.
Meanwhile, Japanese soft power has also found many takers in the region like the most popular annual cherry blossom festivals in Meghalaya and other Northeast states.
There is no denying that Japan-India cooperation in the infrastructure sector in Northeast India offers huge potential for both the countries. In the light of their common interests in promoting a different model of infrastructure development from China’s BRI, Northeastern India is a region which provides a win-win opportunity for both Japan and India.
It is no secret that Abe was a clear ally of India throughout his term. To honour him, India had conferred Abe with the second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, putting him in the leagues of Nelson Mandela.
Modi also called him his “dear friend” and said his thoughts were with him and India has declared state mourning for him even though he was not a sitting head of state or government.