Japan and India are two of the largest democracies in Asia, sharing a commitment to the rule of law and respect for human rights. Japan and India have continued to develop friendly relations founded on a long history of exchanges.
With a view to further enhance their friendly cooperative relations, both countries agreed to the Japan-India Global Partnership in August 2000 on the occasion of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's visit to India. Furthermore, the two countries issued a joint statement called the "Japan-India Partnership in a New Asian Era" on the occasion of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to India in 2005.
It is expected that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will carry forward the agenda that his predecessors have laid. Nevertheless, the current state of economic relations between the two countries shows their potential has not been fully harnessed when compared to the role they are expected to play.