Abe misses N-word, talks of ‘broader Asia’

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 1316 hrs Unveiling his concept of "broader Asia", Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday pitched in for closer cooperation between his country and India in defence, security and economic fields to create an "arc of freedom and prosperity" in the region.

Addressing the MPs in Parliament, he favoured early conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to push economic relations and raise the volume of bilateral trade to USD 20 billion in the next three years.

Outlining the various fields in which the two countries can cooperate closely, he promised to help India in the field of energy by providing technology but there was no mention of nuclear power.

Abe, the third Japanese Prime Minister to address the Parliament, also vowed to assist India in infrastructure development, particularly the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata Dedicated Freight Corridors and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.

"A broader Asia, that broke away geographical boundaries, is now beginning to take a distinct form," he told the packed Central Hall of Parliament while emphasising that the two countries have "the ability and the responsibility to ensure that it broadens yet further".

In the 20-minute address in presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Somanth Chatterjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said the changes now beginning to take place between India and Japan have "no precedent". The 53-year-old Japanese Prime Minister, who is on a three-day visit since yesterday, said his country was promoting various concepts so that a region called "the Arc of Freedom and Prosperity" could be created along the outer rim of the Eurasian continent. "The Strategic Global Partnership of Japan and India is pivotal for such pursuits to be successful," Abe said in the speech entitled 'Confluence of the Two Seas' amid regular cheers and thumping of desks by the MPs in appreciation. "By Japan and India coming together in this way, this 'broader Asia' will evolve into an immense network spanning the entirety of the Pacific Ocean, incorporating the US and Australia," he said. Underlining that the "open and transparent" network is important to allow people, goods, capital and knowledge to flow freely in the region, he said, "it is incumbent upon us two democracies, Japan and India, to carry out the pursuit of freedom and prosperity in the region.” He pointed out that that the two countries, being maritime states, have vital interests in the security of sea lanes, which are shipping routes and most critical for the world economy. "From now...