Abhijitha Singh
Doctoral Scholar, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India.
E-mail: kj.abhijitha.13@gmail.com
Defusing Ukraine Crisis: Need for Japan-India Coordination
Author Details
Abstract
| Traditionally, Japan-India relations have been relatively warm. There is, however, little convergence between the two democracies on tackling the current Ukraine crisis. In the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Japan has fully aligned itself with the United States (US) and its allies. Tokyo has denounced Moscow’s aggression while providing Kyiv with economic and military aid. On its part, India has expressed concern over the humanitarian cost of the war but has not condemned the invasion. In the backdrop of US policy reversals on Ukraine and its economic overtures to China, the two countries must harmonise their foreign policies. It has become evident under President Donald J. Trump that even close US partners will face economic coercion if their decisions diverge from Washington’s strategic and economic calculus. This raises the central research question: Why do Tokyo and New Delhi, despite sharing common strategic interests, adopt a divergent stance on the Ukraine crisis? The current paper identifies the reason for the divergence in the approaches of Japan and India. It also explores the possibility of coordination between the two nations. The paper argues that this divergence stems from competing domestic and historical pressures that override shared grand-strategic interests. |
Keywords: Ukraine crisis; Indo-Pacific; India and Japan; China; Cooperation, Grand strategy