Development of Contemporary India Area Studies as Part of Geographical Studies in Japan since the 1980s

This article examines research on modern India carried out by Japanese geographers, specifically since the 1980s. The studies were undertaken during a period corresponding with partial economic liberalization during the 1980s and full-fledged economic liberalization since 1991, when India's transition from stagnant to dynamic be- came apparent. This paper investigates a variety of factors in India's development. First it examines research relating to the changes in agriculture and the rural development that were key to India's economic development. Second, it examines the dynamic features bringing about major regional changes as part of economic liberalization to include reorganization of spatial structures pertaining to industrialization and the formation of new industrial regions, the progression of urbanization and development of major cities, and economic growth. During this period, the research conducted by Japanese geographers yielded many important achievements and results based on fieldwork. Because the research has been conducted in an era of economic liberalization and rapid economic growth, there are a number of studies that provide insights into the socioeconomic changes in India's cities, villages, and the mechanisms behind them. However, research studies on metropolitan cities and on the spatial structures of a nationwide scale have only just got underway, and we hope for more systematic research on them in the future.