Japan’s evolving relations with the Global South

February 18, 2023

Context:

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has now taken the initiative to raise the Global South for the developing or the so-called Third World to the top of the G7 agenda.

Japan steps for Global South:

Japan has constructed and popularized the Indo-Pacific construct over the last decade and more.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first to articulate the idea of the Indo-Pacific in August 2007.
He called for a coalition of Asian democracies that eventually took the form of the Quadrilateral forum.
He cautioned other G7 countries on the dangers of neglecting the Global South.
Kishida is firm in his conviction that the G7 can’t “impose its values” on the Global South.There is a need to have a firm understanding of historical and cultural backgrounds of the Global South.
Kishida believes that greater cooperation between the G7 and the developing countries is also critical for addressing the current global challenges.

Japan’s changing perspective under Kishida’s leadership:

He clearly articulated the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Defense Policy: He has announced sweeping reform in Japan’s defense policy. This involved doubling the defense spending to 2% of the GDP over the next 5 years, building a large missile force, boosting cybersecurity capabilities and taking larger responsibilities for regional security and capacity building in the Indo-Pacific.
Diplomacy: Japan has adopted new realist diplomacy. It now recognises the essential relationship between diplomacy and defense.
Japan’s initiatives on the Indo-Pacific and the Quad have broken the misperception of Asia as being merely Sino-centric.

With India:

The India-Japan partnership on the Global South might help overcome the traditional divides between East and West as well as North and South.

Conclusion:

Japan’s new approach provides the basis for more substantive and wider collaboration between Delhi and Tokyo in the developing regions of the world. India needs to collaborate more and work in betterment and upliftment of the Global South.