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India-Japan back each other for UN Council seat |
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India and Japan have agreed to support each other's External Affair Minister candidature for permanent membership in the UN Security Council. They have also decided to set up a counter-terrorism Joint Working Group.
This was decided at the talks between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries. The Japanese Foreign Minister, Ms Yoriko Kawaguchi, was in New Delhi on Aug 12. Natwar Singh later told newsmen, that the two countries agreed that it is important to enhance the effectiveness and credibility of the Security Council by enlarging its membership, both in permanent and non-permanent seats. He said, based on the shared view that both countries are “legitimate candidates” for permanent Security Council memberships, they agreed that they will support each other’s candidature.
Ms Kawaguchi also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh besides holding separate talks with the National Security Advisor, J.N. Dixit.
In an interview with THE HINDU, the Japanese Foreign Minister said, it is important to reform the Security Council so that countries that are making constructive contributions and have sufficient resources, including human resources, are permanently involved in its decision-making process.
Ahead of her visit, briefing newsmen, the Japanese Ambassador to India, Yasukuni Enoki, said, Tokyo had noted the announcement in July by India and Germany that they would back each other in their quest for permanent Security Council seat and was, therefore, keen to arrive at the same understanding with New Delhi. Pointing out that the Japanese Information Technology Minister, Toshimitsu Mortegi and the Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, Shoichi Nakagawa, would be visiting India later this month, Enoki hoped that there would be some concrete content to the “global partnership” announced by the two nations in 2000. While sticking to the Japanese position that India should sign the NPT, Eboki, however, said Japan viewed India as a major Asian and world power. He said, the second visit by the Japanese Foreign Minister to India in two consecutive years, without waiting for the return visit by India’s External Affairs Minister, was the sign of Tokyo’s keenness to forge close and cooperative relations with India.
On trade matters, Enoki was far from satisfied. The two-way trade currently is about $4 billion. The Ambassador felt that the Japanese businessmen were now looking at India seriously as reflected by the desire of several chief executive officers of leading Japanese companies to accompany their Economy Minister to New Delhi.
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