Japan's prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, began three days of talks in India on Monday with a focus on improving relations and increasing trade between the two countries. Hatoyama, who took office in September, aims to establish a new role for East Asia in global diplomacy. Despite a decline in his popularity ratings, he met with Indian industrialists in Mumbai, including Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, to discuss strengthening ties between Japan and India, the region's largest and third largest economies. Hatoyama is also scheduled to hold discussions with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit. India, which has been a major recipient of Japanese aid for a long time, is interested in learning more about Hatoyama's foreign policy, especially Japan's efforts to have a foreign policy more independent of the United States and strengthen ties with China, which has been a long-standing rival of India. India is keen to understand its role in Hatoyama's proposed East Asian community with a single currency, similar to the European Union. According to Siddharth Varadarajan, a senior editor at The Hindu newspaper, Yukio Hatoyama is different from past Japanese leaders that India has interacted with in the last decade. Hatoyama's vision of an East Asian Community and his willingness to collaborate with China present an opportunity for India and Japan to enhance their bilateral relations on a more solid foundation than just a balance of power. This contrasts with New Delhi's perspective of Japan as a counterbalance to a growing China. Boosting trade and military ties is seen as a way to strengthen the partnership between the two countries, as evidenced by the recent closer military cooperation and Japanese support for the U.S.-India civilian nuclear deal. India's foreign ministry spokesman, Vishnu Prakash, mentioned that the two sides are currently in discussions to finalize a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with twelve rounds of talks already completed. Japan is the sixth largest investor in India, with bilateral trade reaching over $12 billion in 2008-09 and a goal to increase to $20 billion by the following year. During Hatoyama's visit to India, discussions may also touch upon climate change policies, especially regarding Japanese support for renewable energy projects in India. Additionally, talks will include Japan's proposal to train former Taliban members as part of their aid package for Afghanistan, a move that makes India uneasy. As domestic criticism of Hatoyama's government grows, they will aim to portray the visit as a success, despite recent approval of a record trillion dollar budget that will increase Japan's already substantial debt due to economic challenges. Japanese voters are increasingly questioning Hatoyama's capacity to make difficult decisions in foreign policy, and calls for further clarification on a scandal involving false political funding records have been intensified by the arrest of two former aides.