India–Japan relations are age old and have been traditionally strong. Since long time peoples of India and Japan were knitted through common cultural bond i.e. Buddhism, which spread from India to Japan, via China . India and Japan have common cultural traditions including that of Buddhism, and both share the values of democracy, tolerance,forgiveness , pluralism and open culture which accommodates evey one , i.e. Live & Let live policy.
Though officially , India(under British Raj) and Japan were enemies in World War II, but Japanese were otherwise helping india in their freedom struggle against British colony through our great leader Shubhas Chandra Bose .The political relations between the two nations however remained reasonable since India's independence & progressed slowly.
In 80's & 90's Japanese electronic & auto Industries like Sony, Toyota, and Honda, have set up manufacturing facilities in India, this has contributed in India's industrial and Economic growth .Now India has become a big market for Japanese economy . Japanese firms took the lead & infact were among the first firms to invest in India. The most prominent Japanese company who have made an mark in Indian market is automobiles . Now Suzuki has become very popular and common brand name in Indian market , which is in partnership with Indian automobiles company Maruti , has became the largest car manufacturer in the Indian market .
Defence and security cooperation between India and Japan were almost negligible at the beginning , as Japan constitution does not permit Japan , either to share offensive defence technology or to sell offensive defence equipment's . But with the passage of time it progressed steadily & over the years now it constitutes a strong pillar of our bilateral relationship. There has been an increasing defence reviews , exchanges in wide range of areas with entire spectrum. India views Japan as a main source of investment , which can boost and open many partnership opportunities in India , which in turn shall help to deepen its relations with East Asian countries , under Look East & Act East Policy.
The recent visit of Prime Minister Abe to India and prior visit of Prime Minister Modi to Japan has already strengthened the roots of India-Japan relations which is of strategic significance. During the Prime Minister Abe’s visit to New Delhi & the vision statement 2025 added a qualitative depth for the evolving of strategic partnership between these two asias big democracies and Economic power.
The recently signed India-Japan Civilian Nuclear Deal is one of the crucial cooperation ever happened between India-Japan and is expected to play a significant role in future relationship .
This is a very important strategic agreement. The civilian nuclear deal is a big landmark in the bilateral relations.The Abe administration has now accepted India as a important partner. As he rightly said India and Japan are like Confluence of two big Seas I.e. the Indian Ocean with the Pacific.
This agreement further signifies the willingness of the Japanese government to provide unconditional support to India’s economic rise. More than 70% of major nuclear power plant components and accessories are being manufactured in Japan . The recently concluded deal will provide access for India , to huge energy resources. Further this would help India not only to maintain rapid development , but this would further contribute to establish positive bearing on carbon foot print in the region.
Due to recent Chinese assertive behaviour in SCS ,this deal shall act as a counter-balance to China’s expanding activities in the Indo-Pacific region . India and Japan shares similar concerns pertaining to Chinese assertive posture and are equally concerned about the rapidly changing US-China power balance in the Indo-Pacific.Both the countries rightly and timely recognized the power vacuum developed due to certain decline of US influence in the region and filling this gap through mutual cooperation is the best option . It is especially significant at this point , when China is exporting nuclear power plants to the volatile and rough state of Pakistan.
Strengthening defence tie-ups between both the countries came together in time , with the emerging new security scenario of the Indo-Pacific region. As two of the most prominent maritime states in the Indo-Pacific region , maritime security shall remain as natural area of concern & cooperation in future .
The countries in this maritime setup would be from the Indian Ocean and also from neighbouring countries of China . Most of whom have running territorial disputes with Beijing and are located east of the Malacca straits, a crucial shipping lane passing east of the Andaman Nicobar Islands. In light of the Sino-Japanese dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands and over South China Sea territory, India has taken a firm and right stand. Thus, these discussions are considered of a great significance.
India has also identified Japan as important partner in its flagship program of Make in India and is keen on joint development and production of defence hardware .
Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rightly said: “A strong India leads to a strong Japan, and a strong Japan leads to a strong India,” outlining the necessity of India-Japan relations for the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. Japan also has appreciated India’s long tradition of democratic values and its commitment towards the freedom of navigation which makes India a suitable strategic partner of Japan.
In the economic field Asia’s second and third largest economies are Japan and India. Under ‘Make in India’ programme, Japan has assured invest around $US40 billion in Indian infrastructure development over the next five years.
The friendly initiative between the oldest democracies and biggest economies of Asia has set ideal conditions for making natural partners to counter balance the Dragon . Thus, Prime Minister’s Modi’s ‘Act East’ initiative is expected to get boost of India’s quest for multi polarity and to strengthen India’s relations with its Asia-Pacific countries like Japan, South Korea, Vietnam e.t.c. which are the key players in the global affairs. This will help India to build up strategic base on global field , serving its own economic and strategic interests.
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