ABSTRACT
The trajectory of India’s Japan policy since 2000 reveals an implicit bargain whereby both sides play to their respective comparative advantages in order to complement each other’s capabilities. Japan is engaged in various forms of economic diplomacy to bolster India’s growth potential. In return, India has broadened its diplomatic scope to shore up Japan’s increasingly precarious position in East Asia. The current relationship involves no security commitments and is unlikely to evolve into an alliance. India will continue to engage Japan so long as the economic and diplomatic benefits outweigh the cost of antagonising China, and Japan will find it easier to engage India so long as the United States remains committed to India’s rise. De-coupling their relationship from the geopolitics of Asia and the global contest between Washington and Beijing will present a challenge for Delhi and Tokyo in years to come.
