MK Narayanan heads for Tokyo for strategic talks

NEW DELHI: After breaking the deadlock over the 123 negotiations in Washington, National Security Advisor MK Narayanan is off this weekend for another high profile mission.

This time to Tokyo, where he will be talking to the Japanese government on deepening strategic ties ahead of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s first official visit to India, scheduled later this month.

Japan, a close ally of US, is looking at India as a potential big player in Asian security. Prime Minister Abe’s vision of an arc of democracy stretching through the Asia-Pacific, finds an echo in Delhi, which sees this as the perfect opportunity to be a part of the Asian security scene.

Earlier, while India enjoyed good relations with Japan, Tokyo never looked to India as a major force in Asia. But with New Delhi’s growing economic clout, the equations have changed.

Apart from being a democracy, which adds further credence to its role as a stabilising force, India is an excellent counter weight to China. Narayanan’s visit from August 21 to 23 is of great significance and much of the discussion will be on security issues.

Narayanan will also convince Japan’s leaders of the need to help India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group meet, which will have to give the go ahead for nuclear commerce with India, before the 123 agreement with the US can be implemented.