In Japan, under the leadership of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, his party has registered a historic victory. This is the first time that a woman is taking charge of the country as Prime Minister. Despite the landslide victory, she has said that she will discharge her responsibilities taking the opposition along. This change is being seen as revolutionary in Japan. From the common people to the entire world, there are great expectations from the new PM. Let us connect this context to the Mughal period and try to know how the relations of the Mughals were with Japan? What was the trade situation?
There were never direct diplomatic or military relations between the Mughal Empire and Japan, nor are there any recorded official diplomatic visits at the emperor level between the two. Yet in the 16th–17th centuries, when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its power and the Tokugawa Shogunate was established in Japan, an indirect but important connection was formed between the two regions through maritime trade and European powers.
Sea routes and intermediary powers
There was no land route between the Mughals and Japan, so almost the entire trade system depended on sea routes. Along with the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the seas of East Asia, many intermediary powers used to connect this link.
- Portuguese: By the beginning of the 16th century, Portuguese traders had become active on both the western and eastern coasts of India. He had control over Goa, Daman Diu, Hormuz and Malacca.
- Dutch (VOC traders from Holland): In the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company built factories in Surat, Baroda, Cochin, Nagapattinam and Bengal and on the other hand they continued trading from the port of Nagasaki in Japan.
- British East India Company: The British, who had gathered at ports like Surat, Madras and Calcutta after taking orders from the Mughal court, also gradually became a part of this maritime network.
- Asian mediator: Muslim, Hindu and Chinese traders from Gujarat, Bengal, Malabar Coast, Malacca and South East Asia were also important links in the movement of goods.
Japanese goods, particularly silver, copper, certain types of steel swords, and later lacquerware and high-quality porcelain, reached Indian Ocean markets through these European and Asian trading networks. These were traded at Mughal ports in India in exchange for Indian cotton, silk, spices, indigo and other luxury goods.
Japanese silver and the Mughal economy
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Japan was one of the largest silver producing regions in the world. At this time, silver was the dominant currency in world trade, and the balance of Asian trade depended largely on silver from Japan and Latin America.
Mughal India, especially during the times of Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan, was a major exporter of cotton, cloth, silk, spices, opium, sugar and indigo. European companies brought silver from India to make these items, often from mines in Japan or America. Thus, even though the Mughal court may not have been directly connected to Japanese traders, Japanese silver had become part of the wealth flowing in the veins of the Mughal Empire.
Silver
This influx of silver into the market was helpful in increasing currency flow, stabilizing tax collection and supporting the extravagant lifestyle of the court. Historians often point out that the Asian Golden Age was largely dependent on global silver flows, to which Japan was a significant contributor.
How did Japanese goods reach the Mughal court?
The passion for luxury, crafts and collecting was very deep in the Mughal court. The collection of precious stones, rare Jantar Mantar, books and foreign artefacts was especially famous in the courts of Shahjahan and Jahangir. Goods from Japan and East Asia reached the court in many ways.
- Gifts from European companies: When the Portuguese, Dutch and English asked the Mughal Emperor for orders for trading rights, they used to present rare foreign goods to them. Unique weapons, watches, telescopes, porcelain utensils, lacquer boxes, paintings etc. Many of these items came from Japan or China.
- Through Indian maritime traders: Many traders from Gujarat, Bengal and Malabar were directly or indirectly involved in the trade of South East Asia and Far East. Their goods would be landed at ports like Surat, Masulipatnam, Hogli and then transported through caravans to the markets and courts of Agra, Lahore or Delhi.
- Central Asian and Persian Network: Some objects also came via Persia (Iran) and Central Asia, where Chinese and Japanese porcelain and lacquerware were already considered prestigious.
Thus, many china, Japanese box, or oriental swords kept in the Mughal court may not be directly identified by name, but their origin was Japan or nearby regions.
Cultural influence and interpersonal image
Although there is little direct evidence that Mughal historians commented in detail on Japan, they often wrote about China, Turkistan, Europe and other regions. Japan was a bit far away from the main intellectual stream of the Islamic world at that time, hence its mention in Arabic-Persian texts is limited.
In contrast, Japanese records also feature India less directly, while they focus more on activities in China, Korea, Portugal, the Netherlands and Spain. But due to maritime trade, there was an exchange of goods, metals and technologies between the two civilizations, which creates a framework of indirect cultural contact.
Meaning of the first female Prime Minister in Japan
Now if we look at modern Japan, the political and social structure there tells a different story. Japan is a constitutional monarchy, where the Emperor is the symbolic head of state and real political power rests in the hands of the Parliament, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet. Japan has seen many female emperors (empresses) in the past, like Emperors Suiko, Jitō, Gensho etc. but till now there has been no female Prime Minister. This situation seems somewhat different from the historical background in which Japanese society gave new interpretations to male and female roles from time to time among Buddhist, Shinto and Samurai traditions.
Japan’s first elected female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, secured a commanding election victory on Sunday night, winning a mandate to fundamentally reshape the country’s postwar identity and transform it into an assertive military power unshackled from constitutional. pic.twitter.com/pP3w3HW4m1
— The Australian (@australian) February 9, 2026
Over the past few decades, women have become more active in Japanese politics, and their presence has increased at the level of local bodies, parliament and cabinet. Many women politicians took part in party leadership elections, some held important ministries like defence, foreign affairs and internal affairs. All this indicates that Japanese society and politics are gradually moving towards a point where someday the selection of a woman Prime Minister is being seen as a natural event.
Thus we find that the connection between the Mughal Empire and Japan was mainly made through maritime trade, European companies and the network of Asian traders. Japanese silver and some special goods, such as steel, porcelain and lacquerware, reached Mughal India through this network and became part of its economy and court culture. Thus, this glimpse of the historical relationship between the Mughals and Japan not only tells us an interesting story of the past, but also points towards new chapters of women leadership, democracy and global interdependence in the present and future of Asia.
Also read: Why the confusion in the name of Harkha Bai or Jodhabai, Akbar’s Begum, was the religion changed for marriage?