Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday began his two-day visit to Japan with a morning address to the Indian community based in the archipelago. The Indian diaspora in Japan is relatively small, but its roots go back hundreds of years to the Buddhist monks who travelled East from India and helped spread the religion.
Mr. Modi highlighted these historic, civilisational connections, referring to the influence of Sanskrit in the Japanese language. The Siddham script – a derivative of Sanskrit, is still used in many Japanese Buddhist temples for the writing of mantras and sutras. Hindu deities that were absorbed into the Buddhist canon, including Saraswati, Ganesha, Brahma and Garuda continue to be worshipped in Japan, although their Indian origins have become obscured over time to the average Japanese.
When social reformer and philosopher, Swami Vivekananda, visited Japan in 1893, he said it was his wish that every young Indian person were able to visit Japan at least once in his lifetime. Referring to this sentiment, Mr. Modi also talked about Japanese support for the Indian independence movement.
The comment that elicited the greatest chuckle was one that credited the audience with having introduced “curry-chawal” as a staple of the Japanese diet.
Although “curry” is a hugely popular dish, Japanese curry bears only a superficial resemblance to its Indian ancestor, being more glutinous and usually mixed in with wheat flour. The history of the dish in Japan dates to the 1870s when officers of the British Royal Navy who had picked up the curry habit in India, passed it on to colleagues in Japan’s imperial maritime forces.
Mr. Modi smattered his address with references to his close relationship with his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He said Mr. Abe was always full of praise and respect for Japan’s Indian community, for its ability to “contribute, co-exist and conquer hearts.”
The Indian diaspora in Japan numbers around 23,000, with just under half comprising IT professionals, a group in high demand as Japanese companies attempt to globalise. Sindhi traders who moved to Japan in the aftermath of Partition are the other substantial grouping.
Japan has a notoriously tough line on immigration but has recently been moving to ease restrictions with an eye on India’s pool of English-speaking, technically-educated labour force.
