A Study On India-Japan Relations Since The 21st Century

The deepening of the development of India-Japan relations has become a prominent change in the field of international relations since the 21 st century.By analyzing the development characteristics,causes and limiting factors of the relations between the two countries in the new century,exploring their influence on regions and related countries and studying the development trends and prospects,a basic framework for studying the relationship between India and Japan is formed.This study provides a new research perspective and academic reference for understanding the change of geopolitical pattern of “Indo-Pacific”,grasping the main line of Sino-US game,and analyzing the strategic environment around China.Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Japan in the 1950 s,bilateral relations have been twisted and developed under the backdrop of the international cold war pattern.Fluctuations in political and economic exchanges and low levels of cooperation in various fields are the true portrayal of bilateral relations at this stage.In the 21 st century,the adjustment of India and Japan’s internal and foreign policies has created conditions for the restoration and rapid development of the relations between the two countries under the favorable external environment of the end of the Cold War and the relaxation of the international situation.In the vertical dimension,since 2000,the development of India-Japan relations has begun to heat up.The progress in the exchange mechanism,cooperation areas,and development planning have laid the institutional foundation for the comprehensive deepening of bilateral relations,nurtured the development momentum and designed the strategic framework.Bilateral relations have entered a sound development track.In the context of the “Indo-Pacific” after 2010,the acceleration of the partnership between the two countries,the strengthening of the strategic cooperation attributes of the two sides,and the deepening of the strategic docking,have promoted India-Japan relations to become more comprehensive,strategic and synergistic.Judging from the periodical characteristics of the steadily improving relations between the two countries in the first decade and the accelerated deepening in the following ten years,since the 21 st century,the relationship between India and Japan has taken cooperation as the main axis,and has shown a steadily rising and comprehensively deepening development feature.In the horizontal dimension,the relationship between India and Japan has now formed a comprehensive and deepened pattern in which political relations dominate the overall situation,economic exchanges consolidate the foundation,security cooperation bears the demands,Nuclear energy development expands new areas,and Strategic cooperation leads the way.At the political level,frequent high-level meetings between India and Japan focus on institutionalization and strategy,the establishment and gradual improvement of working mechanisms at bilateral levels,the two countries’ expansion of cooperation in multilateral mechanism cooperation,and the strengthening of coordination between the two sides on regional and global issues.At the economic level,bilateral trade volume has increased,investment cooperation has maintained overall growth,Japan’s official development assistance has played a prominent role in India ’s economic construction,and regional connectivity and joint infrastructure development have become new areas of strategic cooperation between the two countries.In terms of military security,India and Japan have achieved comprehensive coverage of security,national defense,and policies and personnel exchanges among various services.Bilateral multilateral joint exercises have shown an in-depth development trend of expanding types,scale,and quality.Equipment technical cooperation extends from single weapons sales to joint research and development and industrial integration.At the level of nuclear cooperation,the two sides reached basic consensus in the field of nuclear policy,deepened policy coordination in the international nuclear system,and reached the agreement on civil nuclear energy between India and Japan,laying a foundation for the two countries to expand emerging areas of cooperation.At the level of strategic cooperation,the scope and extent of India and Japan regional strategic docking and integration have been expanded,which promote the expansion of strategic cooperation in the diplomatic,economic,and security fields of the two countries.Regional multilateral cooperation,such as joint development of regional connectivity and infrastructure,coordination of positions of regional multilateral mechanisms,and trilateral military exercises between the United States,India and Japan,lead the development direction of deepening bilateral relations.Overall analysis,the external environment of the regional geo-structure and the internal needs of the national interests and strategic goals of the two countries are the basic elements that have promoted the development of India-Japan relations since the21 st century.The comprehensive effect of the two factors constitutes many motivations for the development of each stage and each field of bilateral relations.Comprehensive analysis shows that the driving forces behind the development of India-Japan relations include both internal driving forces such as the economic development of both sides,the realization of the goals of major powers,the maintenance of security interests,and the optimization of the energy structure.Regional strategic adjustment and the policy orientation of strengthening alliances and partnerships are also the main driving forces for deepening India-Japan strategic cooperation.Although the development of bilateral relations shows an overall upward trend,objective factors such as differences in national conditions and systems and restrictions on domestic policies restrict the implementation of political,economic and security objectives of both sides;differences in strategic tradition,strategic demands and path selection determine the “non-alliance”nature of bilateral cooperation and limit the upper limit of bilateral strategic cooperation.The constraints and restrictions in the development of the relationship between the two countries can also be attributed to the different understandings of the regional geostructures of the two countries and the different definitions of their national interests and regional goals.At the same time,with the deepening of the degree of strategic cooperation between India and Japan,the expansion of its connotation and extension has affected the region and related countries.As for the regional order,the increased initiative of India and Japan to participate in regional affairs has aggravated the geopolitical game of “Indo-Pacific”,raised the status of the two countries in the regional structure,and formed a multi-complex impact on the shaping of regional order.For China,the part of India-Japan strategic cooperation for China has increased the potential pressure on China’s economic development and the surrounding security environment,exacerbated the complexity and internationalization of the South China Sea issues,and brought challenges to the implementation of “The Belt and Road” initiative as well as opportunities.For the United States,the deepening of India-Japan political and military cooperation is not only a supplement to US-India maritime security cooperation,but also creates conditions for US-India-Japan,US-India-Japan-Australia multilateral cooperation.In addition,the similarities and differences between the two countries in the “Indo-Pacific” strategic level also bring uncertainty to the tripartite cooperation.For regional countries,the strategic cooperation between India and Japan is driving political connectivity and infrastructure construction in Southeast Asia,South Asia,and Africa,enhancing the ability to maintain maritime security,promoting regional economic development,and increasing regional international influence.India-Japan regional strategic docking also has the risk of binding political intentions and economic assistance,and involving regional countries in geopolitical competition and power game.In addition,under the premise that the regional geopolitical pattern will continue the basic situation of the game between China and the United States,India and Japan will develop in the direction of deep strategic relations along the “limited deepening”trajectory.The differences between the two sides in strategic principles,regional pattern expectations,attitudes towards China and other aspects determine that the probability of the two countries forming an alliance and “quasi-alliance” relationship is low.In the balance between safeguarding national interests and achieving regional goals,IndiaJapan relations with the United States and China will show a dual character.The enhancement of strategic autonomy indicates the strategic trend of both sides seeking to play a greater role in the construction of regional order.