New Delhi: As international commerce tensions intensify beneath US protectionist insurance policies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s current go to to Japan has gained appreciable diplomatic and financial significance. With each India and Japan going through excessive tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the go to is being considered as a step in the direction of a deeper regional alliance.
Throughout his go to, Prime Minister Modi provided prayers on the historic Daruma-ji Temple in Tokyo, the place the chief priest gifted him a symbolic Daruma Doll. In as we speak’s DNA episode, Rahul Sinha, Managing Editor, Zee Information, analysed the offers, symbolism behind the doll gifted, and the diplomacy between India and Japan.
Watch DNA Episode Right here:
#DNAWithRahulSinha | जापान की ‘डॉल’ ने..ट्रंप की टेंशन बढ़ा दी! डील..’डॉल’ और डिप्लेमेसी का DNA टेस्ट
ट्रंप के अंदर…क्यों है ‘डॉलर वाला डर’ ?#DNA #DonaldTrump #UnitedStates #BRICS @RahulSinhaTV pic.twitter.com/eiXLDE6LQN
— Zee Information (@ZeeNews) August 29, 2025
Historically related to perseverance and wish-fulfilment in Japanese tradition, the doll is predicated on the teachings of Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kanchipuram who launched Zen Buddhism to East Asia. Apparently, in Japanese custom, the Daruma Doll’s clean eyes are regularly stuffed in, one eye when a want is made, and the opposite as soon as it’s fulfilled, a gesture reflecting steadfast dedication to objectives.
India and Japan, each key gamers within the Indo-Pacific area, are at the moment grappling with aggressive tariff regimes enforced by the US. Whereas India has been hit with tariffs as excessive as 50%, Japan is going through as much as 25% on cars and 50% on metal and aluminium exports.
Each nations have refused to succumb to Washington’s calls for. India notably continued buying oil from Russia, defying American strain, whereas Japan not too long ago cancelled a scheduled financial delegation to the US, indicating resistance to transactional diplomacy.
Including to the tensions, Japanese companies have been urged by President Trump to speculate $550 billion in American semiconductor and electronics manufacturing. Nonetheless, Japan has now shelved this initiative, and as a substitute, pledged a considerable funding of 10 trillion yen (roughly Rs 60,000 crore) in India, a sign of shifting strategic priorities in Asia.
The strengthening Indo-Japanese partnership may doubtlessly function a counterbalance to US financial coercion. Each nations are actually exploring alternate options to US-centric commerce, together with deeper engagement by platforms like BRICS, which goals to extend inter-member commerce and cut back dependence on the US greenback. The group’s current discussions included establishing a joint monetary establishment and conducting commerce in native currencies, a transfer that would considerably weaken the greenback’s international dominance.
At present, 80-90% of worldwide transactions are performed in US {dollars}, however the rising inclination in the direction of de-dollarisation, particularly in vitality and commodity markets, poses a problem to Washington’s financial leverage. Analysts predict that if BRICS international locations intensify native foreign money commerce, the greenback’s affect in international commerce may drop to round 50% within the subsequent decade.
The financial pressure of tariffs is already being felt domestically within the US. A distinguished suppose tank has reported a 2.3% to 2.7% enhance in retail costs attributable to import duties, with the common American family bearing an additional value of over $1,500 yearly. For industries depending on imports, this inflationary strain could pressure wage cuts starting from 5 to 7%.
As the US continues to depend on tariffs as a device of financial leverage, India and Japan’s joint resolve indicators a maturing partnership grounded not simply in commerce however in shared resistance to unilateralism. The Daruma Doll, symbolising resilience and renewed focus, may effectively characterize the spirit of this evolving alliance.