India next superpower if contains assertive China, effect eco & social reforms: Former Japan Ambassador Hiroshi Hirabayashi

Sanjeev K Ahuja On Mar 8, 2022

Former Japan Ambassador to India, Hiroshi Hirabayashi

NEW DELHI/PUNE: Hiroshi Hirabayashi, former Japan Ambassador to India has said that India is all set to become the fourth and last superpower in immediate future after the USA, China and Russia but it will have to contain the aggressive and assertive China, besides effecting economic and social reforms.

While referring to his English edition book “India: The Last Superpower”, the former Ambassador to India said the India owned all the qualifications of becoming the last superpower such as big geography, large number of people especially the educated ones, strategic autonomy, largest democracy, unity is cultural diversity etc.

The first and original edition was published in 2017 by Nikkei BP but was later translated in English languages and published in India by Aleph Publishing Company.

Hiroshi Hirabayashi said this while participating in the first session of the IJBC-IJL Special Lecture on the topic ‘India Japan: How near, how far’ moderated by Ms. Tomo Kawane, India-Japanese relations expert. IJBC is a bi-lateral chamber synergizing India-Japan engagement in business, trade, commerce, education, and culture between the two countries.

“India will become 4^th superpower in immediate future, not on distant future after the USA, China and Russia sometime in the middle of 21^st century. Though there are several powers like Japan, Brazil and Indonesia but they are not very large and lack the above mentioned elements which India owns,” said the former Ambassador.

Besides his ambassadorial duties in India, he held posts in Italy, France, China, Belgium and the United States, worked in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and served as a Cabinet Councillor for External Affairs for the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. He is currently the President of the Japan-India Association, and chairman of JFSS.

Hiroshi Hirabayashi who had arrived in India in 1988 when India had conducted a series of nuclear tests, said besides other prerequisites, India own status of being a strategic autonomy, not aligning with any powers despite it has many friends. It’s also a military power including nuclear deterrence. One of the qualifications of becoming superpower is nuclear deterrence. Indian also enjoys a good influence in the UN and other multilateral organisations.

However, he cautioned, India’s path to becoming superpower is not so easy because of several factors, and it needed to address it seriously.

“First, India has to grow economically through Make in India, Skill India campaigns, it needs to effect economic reforms like deregulation of the economy, invite more FDI etc. and improve its infrastructure. Second India has to effect social reforms such as fight caste system, poverty alleviation, remove corruption and respect secularism.”

In relation to the rising and aggressive China, the former Ambassador to India said that besides forging strategic partnerships with major powers, especially the US, Japan, European Union, and QUAD, Indian needed to tackle China.

“China is more and more aggressive and assertive not only on the western part of the pacific but also in Indian ocean and beyond. India also must manage territorial issues, BRI, China’s advance to Indian Ocean. It also need to strengthen its defense, especially its maritime capability.”

Other speakers in the first session of the IJBC-IJL Special Lecture Series included Indian Ambassador to Japan Sanjay K. Verma, and Prof. Tomohiko Taniguchi Keio University Graduate School of System Design and Management. He is also a former Special Adviser in the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet

The special lectures series by IJBC and IJL commemorate the 70th Anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations. In 2022, India and Japan mark the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The Indo-Japan Business Council (IJBC) and India Japan Laboratories (IJL) will host special lectures series on various facets of the India-Japan relationship to commemorate this. https://www.ijbc.org

India Japan Laboratory (IJL) undertakes cutting-edge bilateral/multilateral research, enhances higher education collaboration and partnership, and facilitates the exchange of intellectual capital between India and Japan.

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