Japan's prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, who aims to strengthen east Asia's position in global diplomacy, began discussions in India to improve relations and enhance trade. Hatoyama, who took office in September following decades of conservative rule, is seeking to boost ties with India, the third largest economy in Asia. Despite a drop in popularity, Hatoyama met with Indian industrialists, including Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, to kick off his visit, which also includes talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. India, which has been a major recipient of Japanese aid for a long time, is interested in learning more about Hatoyama's foreign policy, particularly his efforts to pursue a more independent foreign policy from Washington and improve relations with China, India's traditional rival. New Delhi is eager to understand India's role in Hatoyama's proposed East Asian community with a single currency, similar to the European Union. Siddharth Varadarajan, a senior editor at The Hindu newspaper, noted that Hatoyama is a unique Japanese leader that India has not encountered in the past decade. Varadarajan believes that Hatoyama's vision of an East Asian Community and his willingness to collaborate with China offer India and Japan an opportunity to strengthen their bilateral relations on a more solid foundation rather than relying solely on balancing power dynamics. This reflects New Delhi's perspective of Japan as a strategic partner in countering the influence of a growing China. Boosting trade and military ties is seen as a way to solidify the partnership between the two countries, which has been emphasized by recent military collaborations and Japanese support for the U.S.-India civilian nuclear deal. According to India's foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash, the two countries 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, and bilateral trade, which was over $12 billion in 2008-09, is aimed to increase to $20 billion by next year. Hatoyama's discussions in India may also address climate change policies, with the two countries having differing opinions on expanding Japanese support for renewable energy projects in India. Indian officials mentioned that they would also talk about Japan's proposal to train former Taliban members as part of a $5 billion aid package for Afghanistan. India has concerns about involving the Taliban in Kabul's power structures. Hatoyama's administration is expected to try to portray the visit as a triumph as criticism at home increases. Recently, he approved a record trillion dollar budget, which will add to Japan's already substantial debt as the government deals with a struggling economy. Japanese voters are increasingly questioning Hatoyama's competence in making difficult decisions regarding foreign policy. The recent arrest of two former aides has led to demands for further clarification on a scandal involving inaccurate political funding records.