In India: The Last Superpower, the former Ambassador of Japan to India, Hiroshi Hirabayashi, presents a portrait of India as a growing global superpower. He highlights the unique features of India in which he served as a diplomat from 1998–2002. In addition to a detailed analysis of India’s strengths and weaknesses, Hirabayashi throws light on the history of friendship between the two countries from as early as India’s struggle for Independence. He shows how India supported Japan after World War II, and how Japan has been a staunch friend of India for decades. He analyses how their shared religious heritage (Buddhism originated in India and later travelled to Japan) has strengthened the bond between the two countries. On the economic front, the two nations have collaborated and risen as superpowers in Asia. In geopolitical terms, the two countries are capable of countering China’s expansionist aims in the region. For both Japanese and Indian readers, the book will prove to be of great value as the author uses his personal experiences of India, as well as a Japanese perspective, to provide insights into a variety of aspects of the country. Overall, the book places India in the centre of world politics and projects a picture of its growing global significance. The former diplomat fully expects India to join the ranks of great powers such as the United States of America, Russia, and China, in the not too distant future. Hiroshi Hirabayashi was born in Tokyo in 1940 and graduated from the University of Tokyo. As an officer of the Japanese Foreign Service from 1963 to 2006, he was posted in Italy, China, France, Belgium, India, and the US (DCM). At home, he assumed many important posts, such as the Director General of Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chief Cabinet Councillor for External Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Secretariat. Since 2007, he has been serving public interest private corporations as a director and trustee. He is currently the president of the 117-year-old Japan–India Association.
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