India & Japan: Anchors of Asia’s democratic future

Shared values of democracy, openness, and respect for sovereignty have given the India-Japan partnership a moral ballast

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Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Japan is the continuation of a journey that has reshaped one of Asia's oldest friendships into one of the most consequential partnerships of the 21st century.

Since his first visit to Tokyo in 2014, PM Modi has steadily strengthened India-Japan relations, with strategic trust and a shared vision for the Indo-Pacific as cornerstones.

Japan's support to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army during the freedom struggle remains a powerful reminder that this solidarity preceded India’s independence.

After the war, India’s refusal to endorse the San Francisco Peace Treaty and its decision to restore full sovereignty to Japan in 1952 created a reservoir of goodwill that endures to this day. Over the last decade, successive Japanese prime ministers — Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga, Fumio Kishida, and now Shigeru Ishiba — have found in Modi a partner willing to elevate symbolic goodwill into practical cooperation.

The results are visible across India’s landscape. Though modest compared to Singapore, Japan's $42 billion FDI carries strategic weight. Japanese financing has powered metro systems in various cities in India, the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and India’s first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Urban renewal projects and smart cities now carry a distinctive Japanese imprint. Collaborations in clean energy, skills, and technology have widened the horizon beyond infrastructure. Crucially, Japanese investment is not diffused but aligned with India’s long-term priorities: Make in India, Digital India, Startup India, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing. This alignment gives the partnership durability.