India and Japan share a Special Strategic and Global Partnership, and Japan is the largest bilateral donor to India

Background

India and Japan share a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. After the Second World War India did not attend the San Francisco Conference but concluded a separate Peace Treaty with Japan on 28 April 1952, which marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The relationship was elevated to a Global Partnership in 2000, to a Strategic and Global Partnership in 2006 and to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014. Annual Summits have been held between India and Japan since 2006. The India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, came into effect from 1 August 2011 and covers trade in goods, services, movement of natural persons, investments, intellectual property rights and customs procedures. Japan has been extending bilateral loan and grant assistance to India since 1958 and is the largest bilateral donor to India, supporting priority areas such as power, transportation and environmental projects. India's first High Speed Rail corridor, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project, is being built with technical and financial assistance from Japan and uses Japanese Shinkansen technology. The corridor has a length of 508.17 km with 12 stations in the States of Maharashtra and Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The Japan-India Association, established in 1903, is Japan's oldest international friendship body.