What Will Result from Having World’s Largest Population?
Editorial 11:56 JST, May 4, 2023 Indias population is expected to soon surpass that of China to become the worlds largest. As a major democratic power, it is hoped that India will deepen its economic ties with Japan and other countries and contribute to the stability of the international order. The U.N. Population Fund estimates that Indias population will reach 1.4286 billion by the middle of this year, about 2.9 million more than that of China. In contrast to China, whose population has begun to decrease due to a declining birth rate, Indias population is expected to continue growing for nearly half a century. Indias gross domestic product overtook that of its former sovereign Britain to become the worlds fifth-largest economy around 2021. On the strength of its abundant working population, India is expected to overtake Germany and Japan to become the worlds third-largest economy by 2030. However, Indias per capita GDP is currently still only about one-fifth that of China. School enrollment and literacy rates are also low, and there is a large disparity between the rich and the poor. It remains to be seen whether India can attract foreign capital with a high-quality labor force and huge market, as China has, and bring about high growth. The adverse effects of bureaucratism have been pointed out in India. Establishing legislation for investment and improving the business environment will also be challenges for the future. Perhaps due partly to these barriers, Japanese companies have been slow to make inroads into India. It is important for Japan to communicate these problems to the Indian side, and deepen economic exchanges to the benefit of both Japan and India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office in 2014, has called for building a strong India in terms of economy, diplomacy and military. When the first domestically built aircraft carrier was commissioned in September last year, he touted the commissioning of the aircraft carrier as proving Indias technology and potential. Indias military spending is already the worlds third-largest after the United States and China. Future movements in Indias foreign and security policy will influence the international order. India has joined the Quad, a framework for security cooperation among the four countries of Japan, the United States and Australia in pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific. What India has in mind is how to deter China, with which it has been at odds. At the same time, India has maintained amicable relations with Russia in the purchase of weapons and the procurement of energy. It has not joined sanctions against Russia applied by the United States, Europe and Japan, and has refrained from directly blaming Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. India prides itself on its non-aligned policy of distancing itself from major powers, but such a policy lacks persuasiveness if it turns a blind eye to aggression that tramples on the international order. India needs to demonstrate to the international community that it is behaving in a manner befitting the worlds largest democracy. In its domestic politics, it has been pointed out that Indias democracy is regressing due to the regimes suppression of opposition parties and the media. Restrictions on freedom and human rights will only impede the countrys development. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 4, 2023) JN ACCESS RANKING The Japan News / Weekly Edition Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting, readable fomat. Read more 2023 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun