Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Dec. 29 summit with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi testifies to his desire to deepen Japan's relations with India, which is emerging as an important player in the international community as its economy grows.
Under action plans agreed to by both leaders, Japan and India will hold regular vice ministerial-level dialogues on foreign policy and defense matters, as well as maritime security dialogues to safeguard the passage of commercial ships in the Indian Ocean. The dialogues will be meaningful because the safety of the ocean is indispensable for Japan, which heavily relies on oil imports from the Middle East.
The action plans, which also cover economic matters, are an outgrowth of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation signed in October 2008 by then Prime Minister Taro Aso and Mr. Singh.