India- Japan 

Source: Ministry of External Affairs 

Context 

Historical background

• The friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilizational ties.
• India's earliest documented direct contact with Japan was with the Todaiji Temple in Nara the eye-opening towering statue of Lord Buddha was performed by an Indian monk Bodhisena, in 752 A.D.
• The contemporary prominent Indians associated with Japan were Swami Vivekananda, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, JRD Tata, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and Judge Radha Binod Pal.
• The Japan- Indian Association was set up in 1903 and it is the oldest international friendship body in Japan,
• The two countries have never been adversaries.
• India did not attend the San Francisco Conference, but a separate peace treaty was signed with Japan in 1952.
• The sole dissenting voice of Judge Radha Biond pal at the war crimes tribunal struck a deep chord among the Japanese public.

Political relations

• In the first decade after diplomatic ties were established, several high-level exchanges took place.
• Japan's Prime Minister's visit to India in 1957 and Prime Minister Nehru's visit to India with a gift of two elephants.
• A transformational development in the economic history of India was Suzuki Motor Corporation revolutionized the automobile sector.
• The new challenges and the relationship was upgraded to a Global and Strategic Partnership with the provision of annual Prime Ministerial Summits.

India-Japan's Annual Summit 

Economic and Commercial Cooperation

• A Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Japan and India was concluded in 2011.
• Economic relations between India and Japan have vast growth potential and complementarities that exist between the two Asian Economies.
• India's large growing market and its resources, especially the human resources attracted Japan.
• The CEPA envisages the abolition of tariffs over 94 per cent of trade between India and Japan for 10 years.
• Japan has been extending bilateral loans and granting assistance to India since 1958 and is the largest bilateral donor to India.
• The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, The Delhi-Mumbai Corridor with twelve new industrial townships, and the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridors will transform India in the next decade.
• Delhi Metro Project has also been realized with Japanese assistance.
• India's primary exports to Japan have been petroleum products, chemicals, elements, compounds, non-metallic mineral ware, fish and fish preparations, metalliferous ores and scrap, clothing and accessories, iron and steel products, and textile yarn, fabrics and machinery etc.
• India's primary imports from Japan are machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel, electronic goods, organic chemicals, machine tools etc.
• Japanese FDI into India has mainly been in the automobile, electrical equipment, telecommunications, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.

Science and Technology 

• The bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement was signed in 1985.
• The India-Japan Science Council was established in the year 1993 and so far has organised 19 annual meetings, 250 projects, 1600 exchange visits of scientists, 65 joint seminars and 9 Asian Academic Seminars and 10 Raman Mizushima lectures.
• Several Institutional Agreements in the areas of life sciences, material sciences, high energy physics, ICT, biotechnology, healthcare, methane hydrate, robotics, alternative sources of energy, earth sciences, outer space etc.
• 560 students have visited Japan under the annual "Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science" known as the "SAKURA Exchange Program".

• A cultural agreement was signed between India and Japan in 1956 and came into force in 1957.
• In 1951, India established a scholarship system for young Japanese scholars to study in India.
• The Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Tokyo opened in 2009. It offers classes in Yoga, Tabala, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Sambalpuri, Bollywood dances and Hindi and Bengali languages.
• The year 2017 is designated as the Year of friendly exchanges

Indian Community in Japan

• The arrival of Indians in Japan for business and commercial interests began in the 1870s.
• Most of the Indians are settled in the Yokohama region.
• The old Indian community in Japan focused on trading in textiles, commodities and electronics.
• close linkages with Hong Kong and Shanghai and became major players in trading activities across Asia.
• A newer segment of the community is engaged in gems and jewellery.
• Indian community with the arrival of a large number of professionals, including IT professionals and engineers working for Indian and Japanese firms as well as professionals in management, finance, education and science and technology research.
• Nagasaki area in Tokyo is emerging as Mini- India.
• Approximately 27,000 Indians live in Japan.