India to walk BRICS tightrope on Japan

NEW DELHI: India will be walking a diplomatic minefield at the forthcoming BRICS summit in Ufa, Russia. This year being the 70th anni versary of World War II, both China and Russia are keen to include a reference to the war and the victory over forces of fascism, imperialism and colonialism in the declaration.

This will put India in a bit of a quandary . While India was not an independent nation during the war, Indians fought on the side of the allies.That would put India on the side of China and Russia. But it's not so simple. A strongly worded reference to the opposing side would be a particularly damning one for Japan, which was on the losing side.

At this point in time, neither China nor Russia would have any qualms in slamming Japan for its historical crimes, with China taking a special interest in it.

However, Japan shares warm ties with India and is one of its closest international partners at present.

Unlike other Asian nations, India is almost unique in that it has virtually no pre-war history with Japan (except for Subhash Chandra Bose). In the present day , India is also one of the few countries to support Japan's jour ney to become a “normal“ nation.

It will need all of India's diplomatic effectiveness to soften the blow to Japan. China-Japan and Japan-Russia relations are currently at a low point, so it's uncertain what India would be able to accomplish.

Japan and China will both have their own WWII anniversary events this year, all designed to create the maximum buzz for their respective constituencies.

Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe is scheduled to make a personal statement in mid-August on the 70th anniversary during which he is expected to express remorse for Japan's actions during those years.China, Korea and the US want him to take the apology further, but it's not clear how far back Abe will go with his statement.

On September 3, China is expected to hold its own 70th anniversary event, where Japan is expected to be mentioned in very critical terms. Japan cannot expect an easy ride from Russia either on this issue.