Commentaries

By Pradyut Das

 Key Words: Japan, India, Connectivity, Northeast, Neighbourhood
10 February 2023

 
India and Japan share a similar strategic vision for the Indo-Pacific as outlined in Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and India’s Indo-Pacific Vision amidst the emerging new world order and as the global economic centre of gravity shifts to Asia. Recognising the growing convergence of interests, the two countries upgraded their bilateral relations from ‘Global Partnership’ to ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ in 2017.
 
In his book, Utsukushii kuni e (Towards a Beautiful Country: My Vision for Japan), Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe asserts that he would not be surprised if Indo-Japan ties supersede Japan-US relations. In similar lines, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has stated that “Japan is the most trusted global partner of India.” 
 
Since 2003, India has been the leading recipient of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). According to the International Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), Japan has allocated a total of JPY 3.1 trillion between 2010 and 2020 for a range of infrastructure projects in India. Last year, JPY 231 billion was allocated to India including for connectivity projects in the Northeast region.
 
In 2021, India was the leading receiver of its grant program with a value of 381,707 million Yen, followed by Bangladesh, with a value of 376,806 million Yen from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a governmental agency that undertakes socio-economic developmental projects in developing regions.
 
Mapping the Projects
 
The agenda of development of the North East Region (NER) of India and its neighbourhood, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar has emerged as one of the key focus areas in the strategic and policy alignment exercise of Delhi and Tokyo and also offered an opportunity to deepen India-Japan collaboration in the region.
 
The Government of India in partnership with JICA has been undertaking several pivotal road-connectivity projects in the NER. The Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge, over the river Brahmaputra, will be the longest road bridge in India connecting Assam and Meghalaya, cutting the travel time from eight hours to thirty minutes. This bridge when constructed will act as a connector between Bangladesh and Bhutan, virtually reducing the distance between Bhutan and the Bay of Bengal.
 
The North-East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project aims to build around 403km long roads in six states–––Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim–––benefiting around 36 lakh people and improving the overall road network in the region.
 
The Shillong-Dawki (NH40) road network aims to connect Shillong and Dawki in West Jaintia Hills, known for its Umngot River. This connectivity project will facilitate and increase trade and connectivity with Bangladesh, along with that it will promote tourism. In the same fashion, another connectivity project is also undergoing in the Tura Dalu NH51 stretch.
 
Meanwhile, a number of connectivity projects are being carried out in adjacent nations with support from the governments of India and JICA to help improve the overall connectivity of the region and turning borders into connectors.
 
Some key projects are the Matarbari deep seaport in Bangladesh. This port’s construction is based on two Japanese ports––Kashima and Niigata­–––and will be the first deep sea port in Bangladesh once completed and will facilitate docking of modern-day long cargo ships. The port will also bring the Northeast closer to deep sea port as Agartala, the capital of Tripura, is only 300km from Matarbari. This has the potential of becoming the main corridor for Northeast for export and import.
 
The Nagdhunga Tunnel Construction Project in Nepal is also being financed by JICA under its soft loan. It will provide a seamless road connectivity between Kathmandu and its southern plains on completion. Reconstruction of Bridges on Primary National Highway No. 4 in Bhutan and the East-West Economic Corridor Improvement Project in Myanmar are also aimed at improving the overall road connectivity in this region.
 
These connectivity initiatives demonstrate the physical and interconnected ties between the Northeast, ASEAN, and Japan and have the potential of eliminating the prefix “landlocked” for the Northeast and its extended neighbourhood by opening the gateway to international markets and investment.
 
Apart from solving connectivity issues, Japan and India together have emerged as an alternative in the region to China’s-Border Road Initiatives (BRI). Unlike China, the interest levied on lines of credit by Tokyo and Delhi is less than 1 percent in comparison to China’s average of 5-6 percent.
Moreover, while the BRI agenda is “one country” specific, Japan and India’s dynamic work on “peer to peer” model, with the broad picture of connecting lands and seas resulting in better economic and political autonomy for all.
 
The Way Forward
 
In addition to connecting the region, there is a need to think beyond it to improve livelihood and increase the mobility of capital, raw material and labour to spur economic growth in the most interior regions. For example, emphasis should be given not only on building road infrastructure but also making it smart, efficient, and sustainable can be a way forward.
 
This can be achieved by adopting best practices in road management and its operations. For instance, using modern technology for patrol and surveillance purposes to make highways and vulnerable corridors safe for transporters. Upgrading traditional border check posts with advanced technology can reduce border crossing time as it is a severe deterrent to regional trade by pushing up the cost of transportation leaving an abysmal profit margin.
 
Soaring energy prices is another challenge that needs to be dealt with. One solution could be E-highways. It is an energy-efficient option that provides electricity to moving vehicles through an overhead electric cable, similar to electric trains and trams.
 
India’s Northeast region and its neighbourhood have abundant hydro energy resources which is a renewable energy source. E-highways can reduce carbon footprint, cost of transportation and dependency on energy imports. It can also enable tapping the potential of hydro energy.
 
India-Japan collaboration in road connectivity projects is improving intra-regional connectivity with the potential of transformation the regional economy of the Northeast region. It is also providing an opportunity for neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal to establish better inter-regional road corridors, connecting the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal and realising the potential of free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
 
The author is a Research and Program Associate at Asian Confluence
 
 
Disclaimer: The views expressed above and the information available including graphics and images are those of the author/s and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the position of Asian Confluence.

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