Comment & Briefs

Although Shinzo Abe is aggressively pushing for revising the Constitution, the LDP’s ally, New Komeito, remains opposed to the idea arguing that it will change the nature and duties of Japan’s defence force.

It is almost customary to blame underutilization of the capital acquisition budget on defective planning, apathy of the civilian bureaucracy and procedural complexities. This view, however, does not take into account several factors that are external to the Ministry of Defence.

China’s escalation of the Senkaku ownership dispute by commencing air patrols over the islands by OSA aircraft has the potential to trigger a war between China and Japan.

Signals from Russia, China and even Iran that it is time for Assad to go combined with domestic dissensions and defections signal that the regime is finally cracking up.

The Indian political class should seriously ponder without engaging in fruitless ideological debates – for we may be leaving ourselves with no choice – whether to acquiesce to a China-dominated commercial and economic landscape in Asia.

Rebuilding Japan’s foreign policy will be another challenge for the Abe Administration, especially in view of the rising tension between Japan and its neighbouring states - China and South Korea – over territorial disputes.

Both the government as well and the strategic community are convinced that India must not join the Australia Group without a road map for the MTCR and the NSG.

To counter the consequences flowing from growing ballistic missile proliferation in its neighbourhood, India must expand its BMD programme to include boost phase and mid-course phase intercept capability.

With China increasingly wary of the developments taking place on its Pacific seaboard, it would perhaps be in a much better frame of mind to listen to Indian concerns.

The security deficit can be filled to a large extent by Afghanistan’s neighbours if they can be persuaded to accept the responsibility, including by contributing troops to a UN-mandated peacekeeping force.