The recent rise of China and India has been reshaping the balance of power in Asia and the world. To maintain regional stability in Asia, it will be essential to reconstruct the international order and to develop trilateral cooperative structures among Japan, China, and India, the drivers of rapid economic growth in Asia.
This project brought academics from the three countries together in a joint research program aimed at building trust as a means of creating a foundation on which to build cooperative political relationships. The research was conducted by working groups in each country comprised of experts in three areas: economics, geopolitics, and culture. Since the commencement of the project in October 2005, the members of the working groups engaged in research, and their research papers were reviewed by peers in each country. A research coordination meeting was held in Tokyo in March 2006. Nine members who had completed draft papers presented their research findings.
This year, new members took a central role and made progress on writing their papers. The international conference was held December 13-14 in Delhi. Eighteen experts from the three countries attended to hear presentations on the research being conducted.
Following the discussions at this conference, the papers were discussed further at individual country workshops. These were held January 5, 2007 in Beijing, February 15, 16, and 19 in Tokyo, February 17 in Kyoto, and March 13 in Delhi. The Beijing workshop was attended by 50 people, including scholars and NGO representatives, as well as Professor Sun Ge of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and two other core members of the research group. Participants discussed Chinese regionalism, approaches to problems between China and India, and issues that had not been given due attention in the country's new economic policies, such as gender issues, development issues, and issues pertaining to Asia. At the Japan workshop, participants including Professor Etsuro Ishigami of Fukuoka University discussed topics such as Japan- China relations, US policies towards Asia, and the ways immigrants affect society. Participants in the Indian workshop, including Professor Manoranjan Mohanty of the University of Delhi, discussed how Japan, China, and India view one another from an historical perspective.
Through their efforts, participants in effect examined a wide range of topics, including the social problems accompanying economic development faced by Japan, China, and India, comparative views of what Asia is, and bilateral and trilateral security issues in the region and beyond. In addition, by offering opportunities for interaction and joint research among researchers from these three countries who had never had any such opportunity, this project contributed to the development of personal networks among the participants.