India–Japan relations

India–Japan relations (भारत जापान सम्बंध; 日印関係) have traditionally been strong. The people of India and Japan have engaged in cultural exchanges, primarily as a result of Buddhism, which spread from India to Japan in ancient times. The people of India and Japan are guided by common cultural traditions, including the shared heritage of Buddhism, and share a strong commitment to the ideals of democracy, tolerance, pluralism, and open societies. India and Japan have a high degree of congruence of political, economic, and strategic interests, view each other as partners that have responsibility for, and are capable of, responding to global and regional challenges. India is the largest recipient of Japanese aid, and both countries have a special relationship of official development assistance (ODA). As of 2017, bilateral trade between India and Japan stood at US$17.63 billion. During the Second World War, Britain, and sequentially, India declared war on the Axis powers, leading to the recruitment of Indian soldiers to fight the Japanese army in the Eastern front. With territories of India being a British colony and the other regions of India being princely states or Protectorates of Britain, India fought against the Japanese Empire during the Second World War, wherein Japanese forces committed various atrocities and war crimes on the Burmese Front. Political relations between the two nations have warmed since India's independence. Japanese companies, such as Yamaha, Sony, Toyota, and Honda have manufacturing facilities in India. With the growth of the Indian economy, India is a big market for Japanese firms. Japanese firms were some of the first to invest in India, the most prominent of which is Suzuki, which is in partnership with Indian automobiles company Maruti Suzuki, the largest car manufacturer in the Indian market, and a subsidiary of the Japanese company. In December 2006, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Japan culminated in the signing of the "Joint Statement Towards Japan-India Strategic and Global Partnership".