Japan-India relations: Peaks and troughs

Abstract

Despite the absence of ill-will between Japan and India for most of the period since the end of World War II, bilateral relations have not reached their full potential in any field—political, economic or socio-cultural. This article identifies peaks and troughs across the six decades of post-war relations, first in the early post-war period and again in the mid-1980s. More recently, the nadir following India's nuclear testing in 1998 was followed by significantly improved relations in the early 2000s, with the relationship reaching its post-war best in most areas when Abe Shinzo (2006-07) was Japan's prime minister. This article considers both domestic and external factors that have caused these peaks and troughs. The final section considers the near future of the bilateral relationship as a new government led by the Democratic Party of Japan came to power in September 2009, replacing the long-term political monopoly of the Liberal Democratic Party.