The Role of India-Japan Reproductive Health Policies in Feminist Foreign Policy and Geopolitical Influence
摘要
This chapter critically assesses the contribution of Indian and Japanese reproductive health policy to wider contexts of feminist foreign policy and geopolitical power. Although neither nation has enunciated a feminist foreign policy in so many words, their foreign policies toward reproductive health reflect implicit convergence with feminist international relations. The central research questions inquire as to how the reproductive health policy of each of these two nations encapsulates or diverts feminist values and if they are geopolitical political tools. Feminist IR theory, postcolonial feminism, and biopolitics of health inform analysis to situate reproductive agency at the intersection of gender, security, and power. Methodologically, the research uses comparative policy analysis informed by secondary literature, international documentation, and critical feminist scholarship. The literature review narrates the history of contradiction between empowerment discourses and the instrumentalization of the women’s bodies for demographic or strategic purposes. The chapter claims that India and Japan only project outward progressive reproductive health commitments externally while struggling with inherent domestic contradictions. In practice, these findings substantiate the need to integrate intersectional feminist approaches within international health diplomacy. The conclusion underscores that reproductive health, when pushed beyond geopolitics, can be strong enough to reorient foreign policy towards a fairer and more ethical practice.