Japanese ambassador to India Hiroshi F Suzuki, a profession diplomat, served as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government secretary from 2012-2020 and was part of his internal circle. He sat in every of the 15 bilateral conferences between Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in these seven-and-half years. As PM Modi travels to Hiroshima for the G7 leaders’ summit, Suzuki outlines the priorities of the summit, how Tokyo needs to flag the urgent challenges of the world and what’s India’s function in it in an interview with SHUBHAJIT ROY. Edited excerpts:
What are the priorities and agenda of the G7 summit being hosted by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida?
This Hiroshima G7 summit comes at a crucial juncture when the world is confronted with a number of challenges. And Prime Minister Kishida needs to spotlight thematic points.
First is the significance of rule of regulation as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has proven that Russia is destroying the core values, basic ideas enshrined within the UN constitution — sovereignty, territorial integrity, rule of regulation. If that is allowed to go on, with out having to pay penalties, then we have now an actual danger of your complete world going again to the age of regulation of the jungle. We should not let this occur. We should not enable this type of unilateral try to vary the established order anyplace on this planet, not within the Indo-Pacific, not within the East China Sea, not within the South China Sea.
Second, PM Kishida needs to spotlight the significance of partaking with the worldwide neighborhood, particularly the World South. As a result of, whereas the battle in Ukraine is occurring, we’re confronted with a number of challenges — meals disaster, vitality safety, local weather change, well being and sustainable improvement. These are all crucial challenges.
And we’re simpler after we are united; we will handle these challenges higher after we are united. So he (Kishida) needs to work carefully with Prime Minister Modi in order that what we talk about and ship on the G7 summit paves the best way for the New Delhi G20 summit in September.
Third, is the significance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament as a result of the venue of the G7 summit is Hiroshima, which is PM Kishida’s hometown and his constituency. So he needs to reaffirm the significance of creating progress towards the concept of a world with out nuclear weapons.
Now, this can’t be achieved in a single day, however we should always take step one. Why? As a result of (Russia President Vladimir) Putin is threatening to make use of nuclear weapons. And we have now the persevering with file of 77 years of nuclear weapons not getting used. So the Japanese PM needs to reaffirm that it’s critically necessary that the worldwide neighborhood continues to maneuver ahead with this unbroken file and takes step one towards nuclear disarmament. And he needs to emphasize transparency.
Japan is the one nation to have gone by the horrors of nuclear bombs. He needs to bridge the hole between totally different teams — nuclear weapons state, non-nuclear weapons states… We have to create extra belief and for that, he needs to emphasize the significance of transparency.
What’s the significance of India’s presence at Hiroshima? India is the one nation within the G7 leaders’ summit which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?
India’s presence is extraordinarily necessary as a result of, though it has not signed the NPT, it nonetheless shares this final objective of realising a world with out nuclear weapons. It has a superb file of nonproliferation. So, India generally is a essential interlocutor to bridge the variations amongst numerous teams. As a result of with Putin’s risk of use of nuclear weapons, we are actually having this problem of nuclear weapons turning into a type of an extension of typical weapons. That isn’t the case.
In case you go to Hiroshima as soon as, you’ll be able to see with your individual eyes what sort of indescribable horrors the folks there went by. So clearly Hiroshima and Nagasaki needs to be the final (nuclear bomb horrors). No extra Hiroshima, no extra Nagasaki. Due to Putin’s rhetoric, this has put that to danger. Prime Minister Kishida needs to kind a coalition of like-minded nations. A world with out nuclear weapons can’t be achieved by Japan. It must be a concerted effort by all of the states on this planet and for that, India is a critically necessary accomplice, as a result of it shares, Prime Minister Modi shares, this final thought of making a world with out nuclear weapons.
For the reason that Russian invasion of Ukraine, India and Japan have variations of their strategy in direction of the battle. How do you see New Delhi’s place and what’s the frequent floor?
Japan absolutely understands the place India stands within the context of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.
Prime Minister Kishida goals to realize two issues — one is to ship a powerful message that Russia can not go on like this. If an enormous State can bully neighbouring smaller nations, and go unpunished, then different nations will get tempted: Oh, if Russia can do it, we will do likewise. So this has an actual danger of producing so many extra conflicts around the globe.
And since we’re at a crucial juncture, we need to ship a powerful message so he needs to reaffirm G7’s unity on help to Ukraine so long as it’s wanted, and on the similar time, unity among the many G7 nations in imposing stiff sanctions on Russia. On the similar time, we have to handle urgent international points. So, he needs to generate extra unity within the worldwide neighborhood and tips on how to do it’s the place India is available in. As a result of Prime Minister Modi can converse with legitimacy because the voice of the World South. Prime Minister Modi hosted the World South summit again in January and spoke to greater than 100 nations’ leaders.
In Hiroshima, Prime Minister Kishida needs Prime Minister Modi to clarify in particular person, face-to-face with the leaders of the G7 nations, plus the heads of states of invited nations, what he needs to placed on the agenda for the September G20 summit, as a result of G20 is the world’s premier financial discussion board.
If G20 can not handle these sorts of urgent points, then no one can. With all due respect to the UN, on the UN we discuss a lot about challenges, points, however then once more, the progress tends to be sluggish. So, for G20, we have now a higher likelihood of setting the worldwide agenda and amassing the form of capabilities that G20 members have individually. United we have now a a lot better likelihood of addressing these points — meals disaster, vitality safety, local weather change, sustainable improvement and well being. Prime Minister Modi is the important thing chief and, actually, he’s the chief to whom Prime Minister Kishida seems to be to among the many invited nations as a result of this shut cooperation, collaboration in bringing about synergy between the G7 and G20 is vitally necessary.
China’s aggression has been a subject of shared concern for India and Japan. How does New Delhi and Tokyo view Beijing’s belligerence within the context of the Russia-Ukraine battle?
This is without doubt one of the essential points that Prime Minister Kishida needs to debate, as a result of in his eyes battle in Ukraine isn’t just a battle in Europe. It has international implications… Unilateral makes an attempt to vary the established order should not be permitted anyplace around the globe… Occasionally, greater than too typically, China makes unilateral makes an attempt to vary the established order and we’re inspired to see India upholding principled stance that, actually, such unilateral makes an attempt should not be allowed. So to reaffirm this critically necessary precept, India is an important accomplice for Prime minister Kishida.
You’ve got been related to Prime Minister Abe for a very long time. And you’ve got additionally noticed the conferences between him and PM Modi. What are the important thing takeaways from these conferences?
I first met Prime minister Abe in 2005, when then Prime Minister Koizumi reshuffled his cupboard Mr. Abe grew to become the quantity two minister within the cupboard. And I grew to become his non-public secretary for overseas affairs, seconded from the overseas minister. That’s how we met for greater than 17 years now.
At the moment, then Chief Cupboard Secretary Abe was speaking passionately concerning the significance of the Japan-India partnership. And one 12 months later, he grew to become the Prime Minister and I grew to become his spokesperson for the worldwide press. I accompanied him on his go to to Delhi, the place he delivered a speech on the confluence of the 2 seas. I used to be within the Indian Parliament, listening to his speech… later got here to be often known as free and open Indo-Pacific. In 2006, he began speaking to (former) PM Manmohan Singh… Prime Minister Abe was arguing for the creation of Quad… perhaps the time was a bit too early for that.
However when he got here again to energy once more on the finish of December 2012, he misplaced no time in arguing for the significance of making the Quad. So whereas he was the Prime Minister, he had 15 bilateral conferences with Prime Minister Modi. And I sat in on every one among them. And I might see that these two visionaries had deep respect for one another they usually have been on the identical web page. Their imaginative and prescient was that peace and prosperity is critically necessary not simply within the Indo-Pacific however your complete world. That India and Japan ought to take the lead in preserving peace, in creating prosperity, as a result of we’re two democracies and we share freedom. We share the basic ideas of rule of regulation. That was his imaginative and prescient. So now you can see the outcomes. Now India and Japan get pleasure from international partnership, which is each strategic and particular. Based mostly on that, Prime Minister Kishida is constructing on additional strengthening and increasing this particular international and strategic partnership.
Since you’ve talked concerning the strategic partnership, what are the potential new areas of cooperation between the 2 nations?
We need to construct on the present particular partnership. I need to strengthen and increase current cooperation, cooperation in defence and safety areas, cooperation on diplomatic areas, strengthening commerce and funding, strengthening enterprise and increasing extra financial ties, and eventually, strengthening and increasing people-to-people change. These are my agenda constructing on what’s already current however I need to construct and bolster far more in all these fields. I need to spotlight the significance of connecting India’s Northeast with Bangladesh to create a brand new industrial worth chain. I need to push the Japan-India partnership within the areas of local weather change to a brand new dimension by concluding a joint printing mechanism between the 2 nations. I need to see extra Indian folks going to Japan and dealing in necessary sectors of caregiving, agriculture and hospitality.