. India-Japan Relations History The relations between India and Japan can be traced back to the th century when Buddhism reached Japan. Historical records indicate that scholars from Japan visited Nalanda University in India and one of the most famous travellers was Tenjiku Tokubei. Tenjiku, is the Japanese name for India, meaning “the heavenly abode”.
The earliest political exchange was established between Japan and the Portuguese colonies in India, particularly Goa. The Japan- India Association was set up in , post which the direct political exchanges began in the Meiji era ( - ). Since then, the two countries have exchanged cultural, social, economic and political ties. Post Indian Independence The diplomatic relations between the two countries began with the signing of Japan’s Peace Treaty with India in , after the end of World War II.
India was one of the first countries to extend diplomatic ties, with the invitation to the Asian Games held in New Delhi in . The relations were further strengthened by the mutual visits of Japanese Prime Minister Nobuke Kishi and Jawaharlal Nehru. India became the first receipt of Japan’s yen loan and gradually emerged as India’s largest aid donor. Many Indian political and economic thinkers praised Japanese economic rebuilding as success after the war.
Japanese Prime Minister Nobuke Kishi and Jawaharlal Nehru Nalanda University in India ( The relations between the two countries suffered a setback during the cold war years, as Japan aligned with the United States while India chose to adhere to Non-alignment policy. Further, the relations were hampered when Japan took a neutral stand during the Sino-Indian border war of . While Japan’s economic engagements with East and South-East Asian nations deepened during the 1970s and 1980s, India was left outside the gamut of the definitions of Asia. Japan also regarded nuclear tests by India as a threat to its Non-Proliferation objective.
The relations started to improve with the visit of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to India in . There are dialogue mechanisms in diverse fields such as economy, commerce, financial services, health, road transport, shipping,