2 SEPTEMBER 2014: Modi-Abe new Bhai-Bhai

Ø  Japan pledged to invest Rs. 2.1 lakh crore ($35.5 billion) in a wide spectrum of projects in India over five years. These include infrastructure, clean energy and skill development. Capping lengthy deliberations between visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the two sides also decided to double the number of Japanese companies operating in India in five years. Announcing the “Japan-India Investment Promotion Partnership,” both leaders were upbeat about their future relationship. Mr. Modi said Mr. Abe had taken an “oath” to further their relationship. The Japanese leader expressed his “readiness to provide financial, technical and operational support” to introduce the Shinkansen, or bullet train, along the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route. On energy cooperation, the two countries decided to collaborate in the procurement of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and upstream development of oil and gas as well as clean coal technology. As India and Japan look to space cooperation, Tokyo lifted six of India’s space and defence-related entities from its foreign end-user list. Japan also supported India’s entry as a full member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Five agreements, including one in defence, were signed during Mr. Modi’s visit, in which the two sides also decided to turn their “Strategic and Global Partnership to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership”. India and Japan will explore with the United States the possibility of raising their joint secretary-level trilateral dialogue to the level of foreign ministers, even as a bilateral accord on civil nuclear cooperation has failed to materialise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against forces of “expansion” and said today’s global situation looked more like 18th century’s. The world was divided into two streams of “vistarvaad” (expansionism) and “vikasvaad” (developmentalism), the Prime Minister said. He referred to encroachment on nations, their takeover and “entry into seas.” He did not, however, name any specific country or countries indulging in this kind of encroachment.

Modi- Abe

Ø  Concerns relating to global mass surveillance and privacy of Internet users are likely to dominate discussions at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) which begins in Istanbul. The IGF is a forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on Internet governance convened by the United Nations Secretary-General to carry out the mandate from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). This year’s Forum concludes on September 5.