This book examines the complex and connected past, present, and future of Northeast India and Japan. It looks at the intricate political geography and ethnolinguistic diversity of India’s Northeast, and its historical and strategic relationship with Japan. From the theatre of the Second World War to a potential economic corridor to the Indo-Pacific, the Northeast, which shares a border with China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar, has emerged as an area of central importance in India–Japan relations. The book highlights the importance of connectivity and cooperation in the North Eastern Region, for sustainable growth, better accessibility, and quality of life. The chapters in the volume look at shared economic, socio-political, and environmental concerns of the two countries as well as the shared legacies between Japan and the Northeast through stories, collective memories and memorials about World War II, and research. They also explore the strategic implications of China’s One Belt One Road initiative in the region and for India–Japan relations, India’s Act-East policy, provincial politics and ethnic conflicts, and the challenges for sustainable development and greater cooperation for the two countries. With contributions from both Indian and Japanese academics, this book will be a key resource on understanding Asian politics. It will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics and international relations, strategic studies, development studies, and Asian studies.

Written with empathy and lucidity, Mukherjee’s book combines hard fact with sensitive insight in his approach to the region’s landscape, people and history. The author analyses problems intrinsic to this enigmatic area, offering viable solutions where possible.

The first comprehensive bibliography designed to facilitate the micro and macro level researches on the twenty-two tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and north-east India. A special feature of the work is the inclusion of brief descriptions of Arunachal Pradesh

Northeast India has been beset with insurgencies for more than fifty years. The Nagas rebelled in the early 1950s, and since then, insurgency in some form or the other has spread to all the states of the northeast, popularly known as the Seven Sisters. This book takes a critical look at the many insurgencies in this strategic region and reviews their genesis, motivations, and characteristics. Why have these persisted despite interventions by the state and civil society? Over the years, the insurgencies have developed external linkages, which have only complicated matters. The book also critically examines the government's response and traces the development of counter-insurgency strategies, from finding a military solution to winning the hearts and minds of the populace. It is a fascinating but sad story of missed opportunities.

Traders, Pushers, Soldiers, Spies. A pivot for India’s Act-East policy. The gateway to a future of immense possibilities from hydrocarbons to regional trade over land and water that could create a new Silk Route. A bulwark against China. A cradle of climate change dynamics and migration. ‘Northeast’ India, the appellation with which India’s far-east is known, is all this and more. Alongside hope and aspiration, it is also home to immense ethnic and communal tension, and a decades-old Naga conflict and the high-profile peace process that involves four gateway states—Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam—and several million people. It’s among the most militarized zones in the world. It’s a playground of corruption and engineered violence. Only real peace, and calm in both Myanmar and Bangladesh, will unlock this Eastern gate. A keen observer and frequent chronicler of the region, Sudeep Chakravarti has for several years offered exclusive insights into the Machiavellian—Chanakyan—world of the Naga and other conflicts and various attempts to resolve these. He now melds the skills of a journalist, analyst, historian and ethnographer to offer inside stories and a ringside view to the tortuous, no-holds-barred attempts at resolving conflict. Employing a ‘dispatches’ style of storytelling, and interviews with rebel leaders, politicians, bureaucrats, policymakers, security specialists and operatives, gunrunners, ‘narcos’, peace negotiators and community leaders, Chakravarti’s narrative provides a definitive guide to the transition from war to peace, even as he keeps a firm gaze on the future. The Eastern Gate is a tour de force that captures this story of our times.