1945: August 15, World War II came to an end.

1946: Radha Binod Pal, a Judge from India, claimed the innocence of seven Japanese war criminals at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

1947: August 15, India gained independence after nearly 200 years of British rule.

1949 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru presented Japan with a baby elephant "Indira", named after his daughter.

1951: The Treaty of Peace between the Allied Powers and Japan was concluded. India did not take part in the Confer
Treaty of Peace between Japan and India concluded.

1952: Diplomatic relations between Japan and India established.
Treaty of Peace between Japan and India concluded.

1957: Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi visited India, the first visit made by a Japanese Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Japan.

1958: A trade pact between Japan and India was signed.

1961: Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda visits India.

1969: Prime Minister India Gandhi visits Japan.

1982: Prime Minister India Gandhi and Foreign Minister PV Narasimha Rao visit Japan.

1984: Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe visited India 23 years after the last visit made by a Japanese Prime Minister. PM Nakasone met PM Indira Gandhi and made a speech about the close relationship between Japan and India.

1985: Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visits Japan.

1986: Foreign Minister ND Tiwari visits Japan.

1987: Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Foreign Minister ND Tiwari visit Japan.
Japan Month celebrated in India.

1988: Festival of India organized in Japan. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was present at the opening ceremony.

1989: President R. Venkataraman and Foreign Minister PV Narasimha Rao visits Japan for the Funeral Ceremony of Emperor Showa.

1990: President R. Venkataraman visits Japan for the Enthronement Ceremony.
Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu and Finance Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto visit India.

1991: Finance Minister Manmohan Singh visits Japan.
Japan provides financial aid to alleviate India's foreign currency reserves crisis.

1992: Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Manmohan Singh visit Japan.

1993: Finance Minister Manmohan Singh visits Japan.

1995: Minister of International Trade and Industry Ryutaro Hashimoto visits India.
Vice President KR Narayanan and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited Japan.

Throughout history,India-Japan relationshave always been strong. For centuries,India andJapan have engaged in cultural exchanges, primarily as a result of Buddhism which spread indirectly from India to China and then to Japan. During the Second World War, the Japanese Imperial Army employed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army in battles against British forces. India-Japan have stood by each other at critical moments in theirhistory.
Political relations between the two nations have remained warm since India's independence. Japanese companies, such as Sony, Honda, have manufacturing facilities in India, and with the growth of the Indian economy, India is a big market for Japanese firms. Japanese firms were, in fact, some of the first firms to invest in India. The most prominent Japanese company to have an investment in India is automobiles giant Suzuki, which is in partnership with Indian automobiles company Maruti Suzuki, the largest car manufacturer in India and a subsidiary of the Japanese company.
In December 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Japan culminated in the signing of the "Joint Statement Towards Japan-India Strategic and Global Partnership". Japan has funded many infrastructure projects in India, most notably the Delhi Metro subway system. Indian applicants were welcomed in 2006 to the JET Programme, starting with just one slot available in 2006 and 41 in 2007. Also, in the year 2007, the Japanese Self Defense Forces took part in a naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, known as Malabar 2007, which also involved the naval forces of India, The year 2007 was also declared "India-Japan Friendship Year."

Cultural exchanges between India and Japan began early in the 6th century with the introduction of Buddhism to Japan from India. The Indian monk Bodhisena arrived in Japan in 736 to spread Buddhism and performed eye-opening of the Great Buddha built in todai-ji,and would remain in Japan until his death in 760. Buddhism and the intrinsically-linked Indian culture had a great impact on Japanese culture, still felt today, and resulted in a natural sense of amicability between the two nations.
As a result of the link of Buddhism between India and Japan, monks and scholars often embarked on voyages between the two nations. Buddhist monks from India had been visiting Japan from the 8th century.Ancient records from the now-destroyed library atNalanda University in India describe scholars and pupils who attended the school from Japan. One of the most famous Japanese travellers to the Indian subcontinent was Tenjiku Tokubei (1612-1692), named after Tenjiku ("Heavenly Abode"), the Japanese name for India.
The cultural exchanges between the two countries created many parallels in their folklore. Modern popular culture based upon this folklore, such as works of fantasy fiction inmanga and anime, sometimes bear references to common deities (deva), demons (asura) and philosophical concepts. The Indian goddess Saraswati for example, is known as Benzaiten in Japan. Brahma, known as 'Bonten', and Yama, known as 'Enma', are also part of the traditional Japanese Buddhist pantheon. In addition to the common Buddhist influence on the two socieities, Shintoism, being an animist religion, is similar to the animist strands of Hinduism, in contrast to the religions present in the rest of the world, which are monotheistic. Sanskrit, a classical language used in Buddhism and Hinduism, is still used by some ancient Chinese priests who immigrated to Japan, and the Siddha script is still written to this day, despite having passed out of usage in India. It is also thought that the distinctive torii gateways at temples in Japan, may be related to the torana gateways used in India

In August 2000, Japanese Prime Minister Mori visited India. At this meeting, Japan and India agreed to establish "Japan-India Global Partnership in the 21st Century." Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee visited Japan in December, 2001, where both Prime Ministers issued "Japan-India Joint Declaration", consisting of high-level dialogue, economic cooperation, and military and anti-terrorism cooperation. In April, 2005, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi visited India and signed Joint Statement "Japan-India Partnership in the New Asian Era: Strategic Orientation of Japan-India Global Partnership" with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Japan is currently India's third largest source of foreign direct investment; Japanese companies have made cumulative investments of around $2.6 billion in India since 1991. The 2007 annual survey conducted by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation ranked India as the most promising overseas investment destination for Japanese companies over the long term. In recent years, Japan has assisted India in infrastructure development projects such as the Delhi Metro Rail Project. Both sides are also discussing the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project and Dedicated Freight Corridor Projects on the Mumbai-Delhi and the Delhi-Howrah routes.
In October 2008, Japan signed an agreement with India under which it would provide the latter a low-interest loan worth US$4.5 billion to construct a railway project between Delhi and Mumbai. This is the single largest overseas project being financed by Japan and reflected growing economic partnership between the two. India is also one of the only three countries in the world with whom Japan has security pact, the other two being Australia and the United States. As of March 2006, Japan was the third largest investor in India with an estimated total investment of US$2.12 billion.
Kenichi Yoshida, a director of Softbridge Solutions Japan, stated in late 2009 that Indian engineers were becoming the backbone of Japan's IT industry and that "it [] important for Japanese industry to work together with India." In November 2009, the Japanese steel manufacturer JFE Steelagreed to partner with JSW Steel, India's third-largest steel producer, to construct a joint steel plant in West Bengal.
During Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Japan in 2010, both countries agreed to foster increased business exchanges, people-to-people contact and signed a memorandum of understanding to simplify visa procedures for each other's citizens. Under the memorandum, any Japanese coming to India for business or work will be straightway granted a three-year visa and similar procedures will be followed by Japan.] Other highlights of this visit includes abolition of customs duties on 94 per cent of trade between the two nations over the next decade. As per the agreement, tariffs will be removed on almost 90 per cent of Japan's exports to India and 97 per cent of India's exports to Japan

Japan and India maintain strong cultural connections. The two nations announced 2007 as Japan-India Friendship Year, and held cultural events in both India and Japan

And this year 2012 eve of the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relationship between Japan & India
More about 60th anniversary event