The Japan-India partnership made progress last weekend when the two governments held their first "two plus two meeting," a security discussion among their foreign and defense ministers. This dialogue is part of strengthened defense cooperation and a deepening convergence of views among the two countries. Geopolitics and economics are drawing Japan and India closer. This is a welcome development, but it is also important to recognize the limits to this process.
Tokyo and New Delhi have been courting each other for some time, but ties took a noticeable step forward in 2014 at a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. Then, they declared bilateral ties constituted a "special strategic and global partnership." Annual prime ministerial summits followed. When the two men met again at the Group of 20 summit that Abe hosted last summer in Osaka, they agreed to push security ties to the next level.
After last weekend's meeting, the two governments released a joint statement that declared the "further strengthening of bilateral cooperation was in mutual interest of both countries and would also help in furthering the cause of the peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region." After the "two plus two," Modi met Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Taro Kono, and emphasized that India's relationship with Japan is "a key component of our vision for Indo-Pacific for peace, stability and prosperity of the region, as well as a cornerstone of India's Act East Policy."