Opinion Speaking the same language

The emperor and empress of Japan’s recent trip to India is a landmark in the history of bilateral ties. For the couple,the visit would have been tinged with nostalgia — the last time they were in India was for their honeymoon in 1960. During that trip,they laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre in New Delhi,which has since become well known for organising programmes on art and culture,as well as seminars and conferences to promote understanding between India and various other nations,including Japan. During their more recent visit here they visited Kalakshetra in Chennai,indicating their keen interest in Indian art and culture. Apart from meeting high dignitaries,they also interacted with various sections of people in India — academics,artists,scientists,schoolchildren. Japanese nationals in India also got a rare opportunity to interact with the emperor and empress.

The visit signifies the growing importance Japan has accorded to India in all spheres,and of the greater interactions between the people of both countries to promote mutual understanding. While our postwar relations with Japan started on a note of mutual respect and empathy,its decision to ally with the US while India preferred to remain non-aligned drew the two countries apart. However,even in this period of distance,certain ties survived. Japan was the first country to extend aid to the tune of $50 million to India,as early as in 1958. India continued to hold first place in Japan’s overseas development assistance grants and loans programme,used for infrastructure development.

The notion that good relations between nations can only be built on mutual understanding and respect led to India and Japan offering scholarships for higher studies in all fields to those who wished to study in the other country. There is no doubt that,because of Japan’s phenomenal economic growth,it was able to contribute more to this endeavour. However,the Euro- and US-centric attitudes of Indians often discouraged them from opting for Japan as a higher education destination.The normalisation of Japan’s relations with China in 1972 opened up the latter as a destination for Japanese investment and products. India’s importance to Japan therefore declined.

There have been misunderstandings because of the lack of timely dialogue between the two countries,but never a period of outright hostility. The prompt assistance Japan gave India to tide it through the 1991 balance of payments crisis opened up a new phase in bilateral ties. Soon after,India launched its Look East policy and liberalised its economy. India’s economic reforms were promoted in Japan by its media and several economic organisations. Large Japanese companies,such as Toyota,Mitsubishi and Sony,established a presence in India. In spite of opposition from China,Japan took the momentous decision to support India’s becoming an integral part of the East Asia Summit.

On the cultural front,the Japan Foundation — a counterpart to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations — established an office in India in 1994 and facilitated an increased number of academic and cultural exchanges. Even as early as 1910,Japanese universities offered courses in Indian languages. But the study of the Japanese language — a means to understand the development and various other aspects of the country — only started in the late 1950s in India. It was only in 2004,as a result of initiatives to promote economic relations between the two countries,that a definite target for the promotion of Japanese language education in India was set. It was decided that Japanese could be introduced even at the secondary level in schools in India,to help students overcome the language barrier. As a part of its policy of globalisation,Japan has started the Global 30 programme,in which select Japanese universities will impart education in English. Scholarships have also been instituted. However,Japan is still not viewed as a destination for higher education among young Indian students,who still look towards the West,particularly English-speaking countries.

It is hoped that the recently concluded visit will facilitate a change in attitudes and there will be more interactions between the young of both countries. This will promote mutual understanding and the realisation that we have many similarities in our traditions and values.

The writer is a former professor of Japanese studies,University of Delhi.