'India Surrounded by China': Japan's Ex-Defence Minister Urges Stronger Ties
Former Japanese Vice-Minister Hideshi Tokuchi warns India is surrounded by China and urges stronger New Delhi-Tokyo defence cooperation.
In a stark assessment of the security landscape in Asia, Hideshi Tokuchi, Japan's former Vice-Minister of Defence for International Affairs, has warned that India is effectively "surrounded by China in many ways." Speaking in an exclusive interview with ANI, Tokuchi emphasized the urgent need for New Delhi and Tokyo to significantly amplify their defence partnership to counter growing regional threats.
A Three-Pronged Threat
Tokuchi highlighted that India's security challenges are not limited to a single border but are multifaceted. According to the former Vice-Minister, the pressure on India manifests in three primary ways:
- The Northern Front: The constant presence and pressure of the Chinese ground forces along the border.
- The Western Front: The proliferation of Chinese weaponry supplied to Pakistan.
- The Maritime Front: China's aggressive expansion of its footprint across the Indian Ocean.
Strengthening the New Delhi-Tokyo Axis
Given these vulnerabilities, Tokuchi argued that India and Japan must "do a lot more" together. He pointed to the recent visit of Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to India in August as a pivotal step, specifically noting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two nations.
The MoU is designed to bolster maritime security through several key initiatives, including:
- Enhanced information sharing.
- Improved maritime domain awareness.
- Tighter coordination between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Tokuchi further stressed that cooperation should extend beyond high-level agreements into practical logistics, mentioning that technology sharing, equipment cooperation, and ship repair are critical areas of focus since both nations are maritime powers sharing vital transit routes.
Common Threat Perceptions
The former Vice-Minister revealed that Japan is facing similar pressures, citing the expanding presence of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard. He noted that both India and Japan share "common threat perceptions," which provides a strong foundation for a deeper strategic alliance.
Adding a global dimension to the issue, Tokuchi mentioned the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, particularly within the maritime domain of the Indo-Pacific, as a factor that makes bilateral cooperation between India and Japan even more essential.
Context of the Dialogue
These remarks were made on the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2026, currently being hosted in New Delhi. The three-day event, themed 'Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific', aims to gather diverse perspectives to strengthen the foundations of maritime security in the region.