After India carried out nuclear tests in 1998, the government of Japan imposed economic sanctions against that country, and bilateral relations quickly cooled. However, India, as well as China, has achieved remarkable economic growth in recent years, and in line with the worldwide attention that India has garnered as one of the BRIC countries, awareness regarding the importance of engaging India has heightened.
New developments are evident in Japan-India relations. The Sasakawa Pan Asia Fund, from the perspective of a private nonprofit organization, has thus initiated this project with the aim of building a foundation of mutual trust and understanding between the two countries.
As one activity undertaken by this project to enable improved bilateral ties, Indian parliamentarians have been invited to Japan to exchange opinions with Japanese political and business leaders. Twenty-two young parliamentarians have been invited to Japan thus far, starting with the four who were invited in November 2004 as part of an earlier pilot project.
A bipartisan delegation of five young Indian parliamentarians visited Japan for one week beginning February 3, 2008. The delegation was headed by Omar Abdullah, president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Party, and included Rahul Gandhi, general secretary of the Indian National Congress. They paid courtesy calls on Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The delegates exchanged opinions on a wide range of issues with representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party, the New Komeito, and the Democratic Party of Japan, and toured Japanese corporations, including Sony and Toyota. The reception for the delegates was attended by more than 80 representatives of Japanese politics, business, and government, further promoting exchange. After the delegation returned to India, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the grant recipient, publicized the visit in India via its newsletter and website.
These activities have raised awareness of influential Indian politicians as to the importance of the Japan-India relationship and have also fostered a heightened interest and deeper understanding of Japan.