BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

SOUTH ASIA-JAPAN RELATIONS: THE EMERGING REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Author: Delwar Hossain

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2007v28n4a3

ABSTRACT

Following the demise of the Cold War, both South Asia and Japan started to demonstrate renewed interests in broadening and deepening their mutual relationship. Particularly, since the mid 1990s, Japan’s interests in the multilateral process of South Asia have significantly increasedthatreflects herstrong supportformultilateral frameworks at regional and global levels.The process in South Asia-Japan relations developed gradually but steadily and culminated in Japan being accorded the status of an observer in SAARC in 2005. The paper argues that there is a considerable scope of viewing South Asia-Japan relations from a regional perspective. It further argues that the asymmetric features of South Asia-Japan relationship can be melted into the wider focus of regional linkages instead of bilateralism. Issues, determinants and parameters that are contributing to build this regional perspective are becoming visible gradually. As a practical policy guide to involvement in South Asia, Japan considers three criteria for South Asia-Japan cooperation. These are: regional problems, common challenges, and issues where Japan has skills and expertise. The instrumentalization of their regional linkages depends on the issues which have both bilateral and multilateral implications. Apart from ODA, trade and investment, a host of factors such as grassroots networks, labor migration, Japan’s peace-building role and cultural borrowing is coming into the fore front of South Asia-Japan regional partnership.