IPRG PUBLICATION

Modi in Tokyo: A Decade Blueprint—Investment, Economic Security, and Indo-Pacific Strategy

India and Japan reset the pace of their “Special Strategic & Global Partnership” with a concrete 10-year vision: deeper supply-chain security, defence interoperability, high-speed rail, semiconductors, critical minerals, and talent mobility—anchored by a private-sector investment push of nearly ¥10 trillion (~$68 billion).

1) What exactly was agreed? The “Next Decade” frame

India and Japan released a Joint Vision for the Next Decade and a Joint Statement, mapping out cooperation in economy, security, technology, and people-to-people ties.

The headline outcome: Japan aims to invest ¥10 trillion in India over the next decade, especially in manufacturing, digital transformation, green energy, and advanced technologies.

2) The Economic Security Initiative: the 5 priority lanes

The two nations launched a new Economic Security Initiative to boost resilience and reduce dependency on single markets. The five focus areas are:

Semiconductors

Critical Minerals

Artificial Intelligence & Advanced Technology

Industrial Innovation & Advanced Manufacturing

Supply-Chain Resilience

3) Defence & Security: operationalizing the Indo-Pacific

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, strengthening defence ties through co-development of technology, military exercises, and maritime cooperation.

Cybersecurity and defence-industrial cooperation are set to intensify, reflecting shared concerns over rising regional tensions.

4) High-speed rail & infrastructure: Shinkansen momentum

The Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train project remains a flagship, with renewed emphasis on timelines.

Complementary projects in industrial corridors and smart urban transit also gained traction, reinforcing India’s “Make in India” vision.

5) Talent & Mobility: a scale jump

Japan and India agreed to facilitate the movement of around 500,000 workers and students over the next five years.

This not only addresses Japan’s labour shortages but also enhances India’s human capital by building global skills pipelines.

6) Trade winds & macro context: hedging turbulence

The visit comes at a time when global trade faces uncertainty from tariffs, supply-chain shocks, and geopolitical disruptions.

India–Japan ties aim to provide businesses with predictability through rules-based, long-term cooperation.

7) Outcomes at a glance

¥10 trillion investment over 10 years

Economic Security Initiative in 5 sectors

Defence cooperation under Indo-Pacific framework

Bullet train & industrial corridors push

500,000 worker/student mobility plan

8) What to watch next

Announcements of semiconductor and critical minerals projects

Bullet train procurement and financing updates

Defence co-production agreements and joint R&D calls

Skilling programs for workers moving to Japan

9) Strategic take: Why this visit is different

Unlike past bilateral summits that focused on declarations, this one sets a numeric investment target, specific technology sectors, and a 10-year roadmap. Japan brings capital and high technology; India contributes scale, demand, and talent. If implemented well, this partnership could anchor India’s industrial and strategic rise in the Indo-Pacific for the next decade.

Editorial Note

This visit reflects a shift from symbolism to execution. The ¥10 trillion pledge is less about short-term cheques and more about long-term confidence in India’s growth story. The true test lies in delivery—speeding up clearances, building chip and mineral ecosystems, and training half a million workers. If India and Japan can deliver on these promises, this partnership will become a model for friend-shored growth and industrial resilience.

Reader Corners

Which sector do you think will benefit first—Semiconductors, Critical Minerals, High-speed Rail, or Defence?

Should India prioritize Japanese investment in infrastructure or advanced technology?

Do you believe the target of 500,000 workers moving to Japan in 5 years is realistic?

Can this partnership truly balance China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific?

The New Cold War in the IndoPacific: US-China Rivalry & the Race of Global Influence

Authors : Shruti Agarwal, Harshika Pandla, Mokshadaa Gupta, Revanth Netha, Vanshika Kakkar

Abstract :

This paper explores how maritime rivalry, coalition-building, and regional governance in the Indo-Pacific region are being reshaped due to ongoing competition between the United States and China. Instead of framing this as a simple replay of Cold War bloc politics, the study treats the region as an arena where states adjust their positions through overlapping alliances, minilateral arrangements, and strategic narratives rather than direct military confrontation. Empirically, the analysis follows three main strands: the indirect influence of the RussiaUkraine war on the region’s maritime strategy, the shift in India-China rivalry from land borders to sea lanes, and the formation of AUKUS and the Quad as key coalitions in regional security politics. Drawing on policy reports and academic studies, the paper uses interpretative discourse analysis to read how governments and experts deploy ideas of stability, rules and order to justify changing maritime postures and new forms of strategic cooperation.

Key Words :
Maritime Cooperation, Hegemony, Balance of power, Strategic Cooperation, QUAD, AUKUS, Freedom of Navigation (FON)

Diaspora Kitchens and Diplomacy: Indian Restaurants as Informal Soft Power Sites Abroad

Authors: Prapti Das; Diya Jain; Aditi Shree

ABSTRACT

Indian diaspora restaurants increasingly serve as unrecognised informal venues of cultural diplomacy, mediating the world’s perceptions of India at the level of daily culinary practice. The existing literature has viewed these sites mostly through perspectives on soft power, identity formation, and cultural representation in terms of the symbolic and affective impacts they exert within host societies. Drawing from international relations, food studies, and diaspora scholarship, this paper places overseas Indian restaurants as decentralised informal soft power actors outside of any framework controlled by the state. While their cultural and representative roles have been copiously documented otherwise; it is rather inadequately theorised and even more poorly empirically demonstrated how economic dimensions underlie their diplomatic salience. This paper highlights the fact that there has been no systematic analysis of the economic impact of diaspora restaurants. It puts forth the argument that while discussing culinary soft power and attempting to foreground, or bring into consideration, the material conditions that sustain it, one must regard economic viability not as incidental but rather as integral to the endurance and reach of informal diplomacy. This paper is another addition to the debate around soft power in its call for bringing cultural influence back into an integrated political economy approach with economic structures as a way of providing a fuller account of how diaspora kitchens participate in global diplomatic processes.

KEYWORDS

Gastrodiplomacy, Indian Diaspora, Soft Power, Informal Diplomacy, Culinary Political Economy, Diaspora Restaurants, Cultural Diplomacy, Everyday Diplomacy

Climate Finance Utilization in Africa and Asia: Economic Outcomes and Policy Effectiveness

Authors : Sakshi Vyas, Jacob Machaka, Lefu Elias Matsikitlane, Anuoluwapo Enitan Popoola

Abstract :

The use of climate finance has become one of the most significant means of combating climate change at the international level, but its conversion into tangible impacts has been extremely uneven in the Global South. The aim of this paper is to examine how the three largest emerging economies, South Africa, Nigeria, and India, implement climate finance and whether the national policy framework is effective in translating finance into tangible impacts. The fivelens approach used for the examination includes policy coherence, implementation, evidence of impact, economic impact, and structural obstacles. The question to be examined is whether the funds work. Based on the results from the analysis, it becomes evident that while all three countries have indeed taken real efforts to align themselves with global conventions like the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC, there are implementation gaps when it comes to ground realities. There have been positive developments on the part of South Africa and its REIPPPP and on the part of India and its NAPCC. However, both initiatives still face serious issues related to fragmented governance and lack of financing resources. Nigeria, even though its policy framework has become quite ambitious, suffers from poor institutional coordination, high administrative costs and persistent under-financing of adaptation activities. It is evident that the key determining factor here is not finance but quality of institutions and coherent implementation practices.

Keywords:
Climate Finance, Policy Coherence, Implementation Effectiveness, Emerging Economies, Global South, Institutional Governance, Energy Transition

GOVERNANCE DEFICITS AND IRREGULAR MIGRATION PATHWAYS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INDIA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA WITH EMPHASIS ON YOUTH VULNERABILITY AND POLICY RESPONSES

Authors : Mpude Blanche Diale Nzalle, Ezekiel Kaba, Monique van Eeden

Abstract :

Irregular migration is a major humanitarian challenge in twenty-first-century Sub-Saharan Africa and India and a persistent global issue. In India, it often occurs through informal agents, driven by high recruitment costs, visa restrictions, and weak governance in states such as Punjab, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. This study aims to examine how governance deficits shape irregular migration in both regions, with a focus on youth vulnerability and policy responses. Using a comparative qualitative/mixed-methods design, it draws on IOM and World Bank reports, national migration documents, and case studies of major routes, with comparative policy review and descriptive statistics. The research indicated that inadequate governance intensifies irregular migration, which in turn hinders economic prospects for youth. The analysis demonstrates that although India has established formal migration frameworks, such as the Ministry of External Affairs and the Protectorate of Emigrants, their effectiveness remains consistently restricted. Findings indicate that governance deficits and high youth unemployment are structural drivers of irregular migration, operating independently of economic factors. Governance failure is identified as a primary cause of irregular migration among youth. The study recommends strengthening migration governance, mechanizing agriculture, providing sustainable youth business financing, and expanding access to education and vocational training. These measures would increase meaningful employment and reduce incentives for dangerous, illegal journeys.

Keywords:
Irregular Migration, Governance, Youth Vulnerability

BRICS Plus and Contested Multilateralism: Policy Coordination, Internal Tensions, and the Role of Emerging Middle Powers in Global Governance Reform

Authors: Kamatchi Devi S; Revanth Udutha; Vanshita Baid

Abstract

Academic research has increased its focus on BRICS Plus expansion which occurred during the early 2020s because researchers want to determine whether this alliance serves as a counterforce against the Western-dominated liberal international order or operates mainly as a national interest-driven platform. The research investigates how BRICS Plus members coordinate their policies while assessing their global governance reform efforts and studying how the group handles internal conflicts which arise from the ongoing competition between India and China. The study uses qualitative research methods to analyze secondary data from BRICS summit declarations and institutional documents and existing academic literature. BRICS Plus shows increasing rhetorical unity and institutional governance reform collaboration but actual governance reform partnerships remain limited because of power imbalances and different national objectives and clashing leadership goals. Indian, Brazilian, and South African emerging middle powers use BRICS to improve their strategic independence and international recognition instead of establishing a unified movement against existing power structures. The research demonstrates that BRICS Plus functions as a contested multilateral system which permits international governance changes to proceed through minor
adjustments that avoid major transformations of the current global system.

Key words :
BRICS Plus Expansion, Contested Multilateralism, Global
Governance Reform, Emerging Middle Powers, Policy Coordination and Power
Asymmetries

ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ACROSS CENTRAL AFRICA

Authors : Adeleye Joshua Adeyemi, Nontobeko Zakhona Andiswa Ngubane, Mushe Khomola

Abstract :

Climate change remains to cripple food security across Central Africa, where a large proportion of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture survival. This study evaluated the environmental, economic, energy and agricultural factors shaping climate resilience and food security in vulnerable communities, using secondary time-series data spanning 2000 to 2025 across 14 variables, including 2 climate resilience variables (mean annual temperature and annual rainfall). Descriptive statistics, pre- and post-2013 period comparisons, Pearson correlation analysis, detrended correlation and multiple regression analysis were applied using SPSS. Findings show that undernourishment averaged 30% over the period, with persistently low cereal yields and minimal electricity access. Rising mean annual temperature (r = -0.610, p = 0.002) was significantly correlated with declining cereal yields (r = -0.880, p < 0.001). In the multiple regression model (R² = 0.907), electricity access and GDP per capita are the two strongest independent predictors of undernourishment, while political stability remained a significant bivariate correlate. These results suggest that energy infrastructure and governance, above agricultural land use or GDP, are central to food security outcomes defining how resilience-building efforts should be concentrated. Keywords:
Climate resilience, Food security, Agricultural productivity, Governance, Policy, Central Africa.

IPRG PUBLICATION

Modi in Tokyo: A Decade Blueprint—Investment, Economic Security, and Indo-Pacific Strategy

Related Publications

The New Cold War in the IndoPacific: US-China Rivalry & the Race of Global Influence

Diaspora Kitchens and Diplomacy: Indian Restaurants as Informal Soft Power Sites Abroad

Climate Finance Utilization in Africa and Asia: Economic Outcomes and Policy Effectiveness

GOVERNANCE DEFICITS AND IRREGULAR MIGRATION PATHWAYS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INDIA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA WITH EMPHASIS ON YOUTH VULNERABILITY AND POLICY RESPONSES

BRICS Plus and Contested Multilateralism: Policy Coordination, Internal Tensions, and the Role of Emerging Middle Powers in Global Governance Reform

ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ACROSS CENTRAL AFRICA