At bullet speed

THE Indian-Japanese partnership has been in the making for a decade since Shinzo Abe described it as a confluence of two seas while addressing the Indian Parliament. This confluence became a symbolic convergence with the laying of the foundation stone of the bullet train project in Ahmedabad. Partisans are out in strength, debating the merits and demerits of the project, though it is a bit rich for the Congress to protest since the very same Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project had figured in two UPA railway budgets, presented by Pawan Bansal and Malikkarjun Kharge, respectively. Sceptics, though, have a point when they question the hoopla surrounding a single, stand-alone section, keeping in mind that the most difficult part — land acquisition — is yet to begin. And not for nothing is Abe called Japan’s top salesman — he has sold the bullet train idea to India even though cost considerations had edged the Japanese out in Indonesia and Thailand where China has been the gainer. 

Arguably, the Indo-Japanese partnership story is not just about the bullet train. Japan needs a large market like India to offset the tepid outcome of Abenomics that was supposed to pull it out of chronic low growth. New Delhi, in return, hopes to get its hands on sophisticated technology in cutting-edge areas. However, Japan is yet to make up its mind about technology transfer. On the other hand, Japan’s unequivocal show of solidarity with India in its Doklam standoff with China should suggest that doubts and hesitations in Tokyo are dissolving.

Partnerships that benefit both sides are a staple of international relationships. But PM Modi and his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, imbued greater dynamism in ties with Japan by extending it to other countries. The two countries plan to venture in tandem in Africa, while the project to connect India with East Asian countries is in full swing. There is need for caution. The Indian taxpayer cannot be allowed to become the guinea pig for expensive Japanese imports. Indeed in the New India of PM Modi, the private sector should have shouldered the risks and joy of running bullet trains. That would have produced some transformation.