Conclusion and Summary

Abstract

This book has discussed the progress of economic integration in East Asia, and the expanding role played by India in that framework. In his concluding address to the December 2005 International Symposium, Dr Masahisa Fujita reiterated the view that India, though one of the ‘Big Three’ in Asia, was receiving less attention than China, both from Japan and globally. Nevertheless, Japanese multinational companies saw India as an essential link in the global value chain, particularly with regard to the automobile market and the investment of mutual funds. Concerning India’s relationship with Japan via the automobile market, Suzuki and Honda accounted for over half of India’s market in both cars and motorcycles. Regarding the investment of mutual funds from Japan to India, the managed assets in India had increased by a factor of 100 in the preceding year, reflecting the general public to view India’s rise to prominence as that of a ‘behemoth’.