International Relations
India-Japan
- 24 Oct 2019
- 3 min read
Recently, the President of India visited Japan. The visit was the first presidential visit to Japan after a gap of 29 years.
- The last presidential visit was in 1990 when the then President, Ramaswamy Venkatraman, attended the enthronement ceremonies of Emperor Emeritus Akihoto who stepped down in 2018.
Key Highlights
- The President attended the enthronement ceremony of the Emperor Naruhito of Japan in the Imperial Palace.
- He visited the Tsukiji Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and planted a sapling from Bodh Gaya.
- He also visited the Shinto Meiji Shrine and interacted with a delegation from the Gotemba Pagoda.
- The Shrine is dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji . The Meiji restoration in 1868 was a watershed moment in Japanese history in which Japan was completely transformed into a modern country.
- The Peace Park in Gotemba City provides a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji (the highest mountain in Japan) and houses the chalky stupa. The stupa, the symbol of the park, keeps the Buddha’s ashes presented by late Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
- He addressed the members of Indian diaspora in Tokyo and sought their support for creating a progressive and prosperous India.
- He also laid the foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project at Sai no Sato, Kakegawa, Japan.
- Sai no Sato will be developed as a temple on the lines of Akshardham and Swaminarayan Temple to promote Indian traditional culture.
India-Japan Ties
- India and Japan share robust ties with cooperation in areas of defence, science and cooperation and trade.
- In 2014, India and Japan upgraded their relationship to 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership'.
- Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) is a very important area of cooperation between India and Japan in Railway Sector.
- A “India-Japan Digital Partnership” (I-JDP) was launched during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Japan in October 2018, furthering existing areas of cooperation as well as new initiatives within the scope of cooperation in S&T/ICT, focusing more on “Digital ICT Technologies”.
- The India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that came into force in August 2011 covers trade in goods, services, movement of natural persons, investments, Intellectual Property Rights, custom procedures and other trade related issues.
- India and Japan defence forces organize a series of bilateral exercises namely, JIMEX, SHINYUU Maitri, and Dharma Guardian. Both the countries also participate in Malabar exercise with USA.
