P olicy B rief

interactions, inherent changes, and continuity in the India-Japan bilateral relationship during the The decade of the 1960s was momentous in tumultuous decade of the 1960s in Asia.8 Indo-Japan bilateral relations, beginning with the historic first-ever visit of Japan’s Crown Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda ( 池田 勇人 ) was Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko in 1960. [...] Best remembered for Prince Akihito returned the official visit in 1960 being instrumental to the nation’s phenomenal as the first Japanese monarch-in-waiting to be economic growth in the post-war years, Ikeda welcomed by the inner ring of independent served terms as Secretary-General of the Liberal India ’s leadership.5 The 1960s was also Democratic Party (LDP) and as the Chairman of significant f. [...] changed his focus and worked hard to resolve two outstanding issues that had refused to During the 1960s, India was either unwilling, stay settled: the Thai special yen account and or unable, to establish its presence in Southeast Burmese reparations.28 Ikeda also continued Asia.30 India’s contribution to the ending of the the policy of modestly expanding the overseas Indochina conflict and the in. [...] Implicit 30, 1968, PM Gandhi observed that India was faith in the efficacy of and unquestioning willing to ‘participate in and support’ a broad dependence on military alliances, as well regional association in Southeast Asia ‘on the as the rigidities of the bipolar world, are basis of equality and mutual benefit’32, thus in a state of flux. [...] In reasoning that defines the behavior of nation- fact, the Gekkyu Nibai Ron managed to enshrine states based upon the existential constraints ‘economic growth’ as Japan’s economic and of the international system as well as the foreign policy pivot and gospel goal for nearly compulsions of domestic political structures.49 It all successive post-Ikeda governments and is the flexibility in the polit.