ABSTRACT
The foundations of Pakistan-Japan relations lie in the pre-independence period of Pakistan’s history. Three aspects have molded Pakistani and Japanese attitudes toward each other. First, a special cultural relationship bound Pakistan and Japan. In ancient times, Japan’s most popular religious belief, Buddhism, derived its traditions from the ancient civilization of Gandhara (now in Pakistan). This common cultural heritage created understandings between the people of the Indian Sub-continent and Japanese archipelago. Second, during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the region along the Indus Valley, Punjab and Sindh, one of world’s great cotton growing areas, became the largest source of raw cotton for the Japanese textile industry. Third, although the Muslim League supported the British in the war against Japan, this did not leave a legacy of hostility. In the aftermath of the war, economic complementarity allowed Pakistan to enter into surprisingly fruitful relationships with Japan. In the following pages, an endeavor has been made to analyze these circumstances to explain the foundations of Pakistan-Japan relations.
