Japan: turning to Third World

Abstract

ADDRESSING the Japanese Diet (parliament) during his recent visit to this country, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi expressed the hope that the relations between his country and Japan would not be limited to the marketplace alone. On the face of it, the statement may represent nothing more than mere rhetoric of a visiting dignitary. For, at present even the marketplace contact between Japan and the third world nations, among whom India occupies a prominent place, is not very impressive if we exclude the Southeast Asian region which incorporates only a few non-aligned countries. There are some straws in the wind, however, to indicate that in the years to come the industrial giant of the Pacific would gradually move closer to the third world—not only economically but also culturally and politically.