Why Japan Is Much More Developed Than India

Is Thailand more developed than India?

In some ways it is.The Bangkok metro system is far superior to the metro system in New Delhi, for instance, and most likely to that of other Indian cities like Bangalore, based on what I have seen.Thailand seems to embrace the concept of urban sanitation to a much greater degree than India does as well. Although there is still a noticeable urban stench in Bangkok, it isn’t anywhere near as fetid as Bangalore, New Delhi or any other major Indian city.The road system is a bit better in Thailand than in India, although there are a few relatively modern “super-highways” in India, like New Delhi to Agra, that are roughly comparable to US interstate freeways.Still, in India you tend to find that almost unbearable state of intractable stop-and-go traffic mixed with heavy pollution and ear-splitting noise. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing more than a development thing, but Thailand seems a degree more calm in that regard.My hunch is that certain portions of the Indian economy, like information technology, cinema, aerospace, automobiles, etc. are much more developed than their counterparts in Thailand, however.I would also guess that once you get into the countryside, the differences between development in Thailand and India start to become a bit more subtle.

Why is it that even though Japan is more developed than India, 1 rupee is equal to 2 yen?

In layman terms, Foriegn Exchange (FX) rates are determined by the demand/supply of each currency (Home or Foreign Currency) and not whether a country is developed or not. When demand for say foreing currency increases, the value of foriegn currency typically strengthens/appreciates or in other words the home currency weakens/depreciates (ie say take the case of INR - USDollar USD strengthens means 1USD now couuld buy 63INR which earlier might have been 60INR).Now what can affect the demand/supply of currency? Trade between countries on goods/services + Foriegn Direct Investment (FDI) + Pure moneyflow to capital markets (equity/debt) by FIIs/speculators etc. In the case of India-Japan, lets look at the trade between the countries. India has a trade deficit (ie imports from Japan are more than exports to Japan) of around 6.4Billion USD in 2012-2013 (Source:Wikipedia). By this data it looks like there should be a huge demand for Yen and hence FX rate should have been something like 1Yen = Say 50INR or something like that. But moneyflow through trade is only one part of the story. What about the flows due to other reasons? In one of the articles i saw that in India FDI investment by Japanese companies  was of the tune of around 15Billion USD from 2000 to 2013. This a counter moneyflow to Trade deficit. I am just trying to give a overall idea of why 1INR  = 2Yen. Basically while there is a huge demand for Yen through import of Japanese Goods, there is much more supply of Yen through FDIs, FIIs etc. This is the reason why 1INR = 2Yen. The intricate details of fixing FX rates are beyond scope here and i suggest reading some book on economic funda for the effect of  PPP, interest rate, Current deficit, Soveriegn risk  on FX rates. But the basic possible reason of why 1INR = 2YEN i have explained in the previous paras.Any further detailed explanations may be given by the economic experts in this forum.

How Japan is a developed country compared to India?

In the present yes. It's way more developed than India in terms of infrastructure and technology.Japan is ranked 3rd largest economy after the US and China. After the WW2 Japan had become a poor country and had to face many economic as well as cultural problems. But in a way the war also gave them an opportunity to amend their previous choices and enabled them to start from scratch. The major economic breakthrough came during the late 70’s. By the starting of the early 90’s Japan had become the 2nd largest economy behind the US. This period of growth is popularly termed as the “Japanese economic miracle”.During these times various mutibillion dollar companies emerged in Japan and the craving for technology was also on the rise. Some of them has also became common household names eg Sony, Panasonic, Suzuki etc. This was only possible because of the tireless , disciplined and passionate effort that the Japanese people put in order emerge as a phoenix from the ashes of the warThe bullet train developed in Japan is one of the very good examples. Unquestionably Japan is also the robot capital of the world, even having a hotel fully run by robots ( the receptionist is a T-Rex by the way!!). Their public transportation system is way more effective and well maintained.But development should not be limited to infrastructure and technology alone. The physical and mental well being of the citizens also should be taken into fact. Sadly according to the various stats and info that I have come across Japan has a very high suicide rate and cases of people ( mostly men) becoming recluse (“Hikikomori”) due to the pressure from the society. Japan's economy have also slowed down considerably and Japan's debt are also continuously increasing.Taking the case of India, it doesn't mean that India is lagging behind. Changes are happening tremendously. India becoming the fastest growing economy is an evidence of that. India is also ranked above Japan in terms of purchase power parity(PPP). It is also predicted that India will overtake Japan's economy in the coming 10–15 years. By the way bullet train is also coming to India ( hurraaay!!, Thanks to Japan)India is only starting, by the time this answer receives a considerable number of upvotes ( even though I’m sure that it won't happen, LoL) India would have become the new super power of the world ( even if this doesn't get any votes also)PS: sorry if I went off topic :)

Why is china and south Korea more developed than India?

Because we have total freedom. Let me explain.In China, if the government wants to construct a road, they decide the area and start building. Anyone who owns property on the proposed land has no say. They may or may not be compensated. The owner of the land does not have any right against the government to stop the construction. Hence, the road is constructed quickly.In India, if the government wants to construct a road, they decide the area and start looking for approvals from several departments. When the construction begins, every department creates an issue. For example, the forest department may own some trees on the land where the road is being constructed. The construction is stalled until they reach a settlement. Then, if a citizen owns some piece of land, he would start demonstrations against the government and start an agitation. Bollywood celebrities would come out on streets and blame the government for working against the common man! Hence, the road would take forever to be constructed.Now, while you may think what I have written for India is negative, in fact, it is not. It simply means that when India grows, everyone in India grows along with it and not just the infrastructure and government, but each department and citizen’s interest in taken into account. However, in China, only the infrastructure and the government grows, the people do not generally benefit. China would get things done quickly, however, India would get things done ethically.South Korea is a different story altogether. They have been long term US allies and the US helped them develop to counter North Korea. India has never been aligned to any World Power. While South Korea will forever be dependent on USA, India on the other hand has nobody to answer. South Korea cannot take an independent decision without asking the US. India does not face any such issue. Our progress is slow, but we are independent.G’day