Indo Japanese Essay

India and Japan have been close friends and allies for decades.

While India's political scene experienced massive upheaval this year and the new government's international relationships with World Trade Organisation member states and China were shaken due to its vetoing of a major trade deal and border tensions, respectively, the Indo-Japan alliance continues to stand like a rock.

The Indo-Japan camaraderie was reinforced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent trip to Japan - his first major foreign visit since leading the Bharatiya Janata Party to victory in May. His Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe believes that India and Japan are natural allies and should be even closer politically, militarily, technologically and economically. This comes at a time of growing Chinese influence and assertiveness across the region.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has increased from US$3.6

India presents an attractive market opportunity for Japan as it's one of the world's fastest growing major economies, so there's money to be made for Japanese businesses.

To provide a snapshot of the market opportunity in India, take these facts and forecasts: nearly 50% of India's population is less than age 25 and about 200 million people are expected to join the workforce over the next decade, and 70% of the population still live in rural areas, many of which are expected to urbanise. All this means that demand for quality infrastructure, utilities, roads and mass transit systems is expected to soar.

For India, there's the obvious benefit of plugging the already chronic infrastructure gap with Japanese financing and its excellent infrastructure exports, technologies and technical know-how. Importantly, better infrastructure means results in a higher standard of living for the general public and a more productive labour force, which is crucial for maximising India's economic