जापान में भारतीय 日本にいるインド人 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| 53,974 (in December, 2024) Indian nationals[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Tokyo,Kobe,Yokohama | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
Indians in Japan consist of those with Japanese citizenship and those with foreign citizenship.
As of early 2026, there are approximately 55,000 Indian nationals residing in Japan.[4] Within Japan's total foreign population of nearly 4 million, India ranks as the 12th largest immigrant group overall, trailing significantly behind Nepal (approx. 273,000) but remaining larger than the populations of Pakistan and Bangladesh.[5][6]
The demographic is uniquely defined by its high concentration of highly skilled professionals in the IT and engineering sectors; a bilateral 2025 action plan aims to further expand this footprint by targeting the recruitment of 50,000 additional skilled Indian workers by 2030.[7]
Since unification, Japan’s perception of India has evolved from a mythical "Heavenly Abode" (Tenjiku) during the Edo period to a modern strategic anchor, resulting in a foreign policy that prioritizes India as a vital democratic partner for regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.[8][9] As of 2026 the Japanese government views India as an indispensable strategic partner and its most promising economic destination, focusing on a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" while actively recruiting high-skilled Indian talent to address domestic labor shortages.[10]
Public opinion in Japan toward India is characterized by a high degree of strategic trust and growing cultural affinity. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2025, a majority of Japanese respondents hold a favorable view of India, with favorability particularly high among younger adults (under 35) and men, who show double-digit leads in positive sentiment over older demographics and women, respectively.[11]
Historically, in populations influenced by Chinese characters such as the Japanese, they referred toIndia asTenjiku (天竺). Consequently, people of Indian origin were occasionally referred to asTenjiku-jin (天竺人), though this term is now considered archaic and restricted to classical literature or religious contexts.[12] In modernJapanese, the standard endonym for an Indian person isIndo-jin (インド人), composed of thekatakana for "India" (インド) and theKanji suffix for "person" (人).[13]
The termZainichi Indo-jin (在日インド人, lit. "Indian person staying in Japan") is frequently utilized in government statistics and sociological studies to distinguish the resident diaspora from short-term visitors.[14]
In the broader context ofSoutheast Asia, the term "Indian" often functions as apan-ethnic label that encompasses all individuals of South Asian descent, includingNepalis,Sri Lankans, and other South Asians, for example theIndian Indonesians.[15] This linguistic pattern is particularly evident in the use of the termKeling inMalaysia andIndonesia, orKhaek (Thai:แขก) inThailand; while these terms are etymologically linked to "India" or "guests," they historically applied to the entireIndian subcontinent.[16] Japanese government administration generally maintains sharper distinctions between South Asian nationalities. Nevertheless, in casual social settings or when referring to South Asian cuisine (such as "Indian curry" shops), the term is frequently used as ametonym for the diverse South Asian community, many of whom—particularly Nepalis—operate a significant portion of the "Indian" restaurants in Japan.[17]
Evidence for indirect contact between India and Japan dates back to the transition from the Late Jōmon to the early Yayoi period, when the expansion of Austronesian maritime networks began linking the South Asia to the East Asia[18]. Starting from the initial expansion in 3000 BCE, Austronesian groups eventually established settlements inKyushu,Ryukyu Islands, along the coasts of southeastern India andSri Lanka, facilitating the transfer of maritime technology and crops across theIndian Ocean.[19][20] This maratime route is evidenced by the arrival of specialized prestige goods, such as etched carnelian and Indo-Pacific glass beads, which were manufactured in Indian workshops like Arikamedu and transported via Austronesian "relay trade" through the Thai-Malay Peninsula to the Japanese archipelago[21]. Some scholars further argue that the sudden introduction of wet-rice agriculture and bronze metallurgy in Japan was catalyzed by these southern maritime routes, which moved technology from the Austroasiatic and Austronesian spheres of influence toward the Ryukyu Islands and Kyushu[22]. Early interactions are theorized to have occurred at maritime hubs along the Thai-Malay Peninsula.[23]
The Himalayas, Arakan Mountains and Patkai Range formed a significant geographic land barrier between modern-day South Asia and East Asia that historically restricted overland contact.[24] Following the 1st centuryCE, a complex series of indirectrelay trade routes emerged betweenIndia andChina through Central Asia and the vast arid expanses of Western China, that added to the existing more direct maratime trade routes.[25][26] The arduous nature of traversing these desert and distant regions was famously written into the 16th-century Chinese novel by Wu Cheng'enJourney to the West.[27][28] The introduction ofBuddhism in Japan is often attributed to theKudara (Baekje) mission in the 6th century; however, historical scholarship increasingly emphasizes the role of theMaritime Silk Road in connecting Japan with Southeast Asian Buddhist centers; archaeological finds of Southeast Asian-style votive tablets and the influence of Indian Srivijayan artistic motifs in early Japanese statuary suggest a "Southern Route" of influence that bypassed the continental path.[29] This maritime network facilitated the exchange ofesoteric texts and ritual objects between the Japanese archipelago and the Buddhist polities ofIndochina and theEast Indies.[30] While the land-based routes have historically received more scholarly attention due to reasons such as the greater accessibility of archaeological sites, modern economic historians argue that the maritime routes were actually more significant in terms of trade volume and cultural exchange.[31][32][33][34]
These early connections laid the foundation for more formal exchanges, such as the 8th-century arrival of the Indian monk Bodhisena to consecrate the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji[35]. Bodhisena did not travel as a solitary figure; rather, he arrived in Japan in 736 CE as part of a massive diplomatic entourage of nearly 600 people carried aboard four imperial Kentōshi ships[36]. His immediate retinue included religious disciples, monks, and scholars, and even brought a troupe of musicians to introduce Southeast Asian performing arts to the Nara court.[37] This large-scale mission included not only clergy but also diplomats, servants, and specialized craftsmen, facilitating a broad transfer of South Asian and Southeast Asian material culture directly into the Japanese capital[38]. This collective mission was instrumental in the cultural landscape of the Nara period, as the group brought with them South Asian and Southeast Asian music, dance, and ritual expertise that were showcased during the "eye-opening" ceremony of the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji in 752 CE[39].
The establishment of theNanban trade route between theEstado da Índia and Japan led to a significant demographic exchange, characterized by the movement of South Asians to the port ofNagasaki. Portuguesecarracks operating fromGoa,Ceylon andMalacca were frequently manned by "Lascars"—sailors recruited from South Asia.[40] During the 16th and 17th centuries, Indian contact with Japan was largely facilitated through the maritime network of Portuguese India, particularly via the trading hub of Goa.[41] Indian sailors, soldiers, and merchants, collectively referred to by the Portuguese as lascars or banian (merchants), accompanied Portuguese carracks traveling the Nanban trade route between Goa and Nagasaki.[42] This presence is prominently documented in 16th-centuryNanban art, where dark-skinned South Asians are depicted alongside Portuguese merchants and Jesuit missionaries walking the streets of Nagasaki.[43] These Indian participants were integral to the transfer of commodities and cultural practices between the two regions, often acting as intermediaries in transactions involving Indian textiles, spices, and Portuguese firearms.[44] Small numbers of these individuals settled permanently in the city, integrating into the local Christian community until the implementation of theSakoku edicts in the 1630s, which forced the expulsion of most foreign residents toMacau.[45]
Following the expulsion of the Portuguese, theDutch East India Company (VOC) became the sole European entity permitted to trade with Japan, operating from the island ofDejima inNagasaki. During the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) managed its trade route between India and Japan from its administrative headquarters inBatavia, utilizing Dejima in Nagasaki harbor as its exclusive trading post in Japan from 1641.[46]This trade was supported by an extensive intra-Asian network whereDutch Ceylon and theCoromandel Coast played pivotal roles as suppliers of cinnamon and textiles.[47] The VOC's maritime operations relied heavily onLascar sailors and domestic workers recruited from South Asia. While the high-ranking officials on Dejima were European, Japanese woodblock prints known asNagasaki-e frequently depict Dutch merchants accompanied by South East Asian and South Asian attendants and servants.[48] These individuals formed a transient but consistent South Asian presence in Nagasaki throughout theEdo period, though they were strictly confined to the island of Dejima under theTokugawa Shogunate's maritime restrictions.[49]
Following the end ofSakoku and the opening of Japanese ports to international trade, the expansion of theBritish Raj's maritime influence in the late 19th century facilitated the establishment of a robust trade corridor connectingSouth Asia with the JapaneseTreaty ports, most notablyNagasaki andKobe. Driven by the exchange of raw Indian cotton for Japanese manufactured goods, this route relied heavily onLascar labor—seamen recruited from the Indian subcontinent to man the steamships.[50] These vessels frequently departed fromBritish Ceylon, integrating the island's tea and gemstone exports into the broader East Asian trade network.[51] While many sailors returned home, a small number of South Asian merchants and maritime workers settled permanently in Nagasaki. This fledgling diaspora established some of the earliest South Asian cultural footprints in Japan, serving as essential intermediaries in the trans-Pacific shipping industry and forming the bedrock of the region's international merchant community.[52] The history of modern Indian settlement in Japan goes back more than a century. As early as 1872, a few Indian businessmen and their families had settled inYokohama as well asOkinawa.[53] In 1891,Tata, then a small trading firm, established a branch inKobe.[54] By 1901, Japanese government statistics recorded 30 people fromBritish India living in Japan.[55] Local statistics of theHyōgo Prefecture government showed 59 Indians living in the prefecture in 1905, among whom all but one were men.[56]
After the destruction wreaked on Yokohama in the1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the Indian traders there migrated to Kobe; from then on, Kobe became the center of Japan's Indian community's growth.[57]
By 1939, on the eve ofWorld War II, the number of Indians in Hyōgo Prefecture had reached 632. However, due to British sanctions against Japan and the 1941 halt of shipping between Japan and their homeland, many closed their shops and left; by 1942, there were only 114 remaining.[58]
India was considered an important potential colony for Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity. Indians in Malaya (modern day Malaysia and Singapore) were often treated more favorably by the Japanese due to the importance of India in the global war plans of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. In comparison, Chinese were sidelined due to the ongoing war between Chinese and Japanese forces in China.[59]
Prior to 1990, the Indian community in Japan remained centred in theKobe area. However, after 1990, the numbers in Tokyo began to show a sharp increase.[60] Migrants who arrived in the 1990s included industrial trainees sent byJapanese car manufacturers which had set up factories in India.[61] IT professionals and their families also came to Tokyo, settling primarily inSetagaya andMinato wards.[62]
In 2016, the two sides signed the "Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme" agreement for training 30,000 people over 10 years. In 2021, Japan and India signed an agreement to allow Indian citizens to obtain the specified skilled visa, which allows Indians to work in several fields including nursing, industrial machinery, shipbuilding, aviation, agriculture and the food services industry.[63]\
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has noted that India is viewed by the public as an "indispensable partner" for regional security, particularly within the framework of the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific."[64] This sentiment is reinforced by economic data; for instance, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has ranked India as the most promising destination for overseas business expansion for four consecutive years as of 2026.[64] While strategic alignment remains the primary driver of India's popularity, cultural interest is also rising, with bilateral initiatives aiming to facilitate the exchange of 500,000 personnel over five years to deepen people-to-people ties.[65]
Indians in Japan largely fill more professional roles due to a combination of the language barrier and lower salaries for the specified skilled visa, for which there are only 434 Indians. There are far more students.[66] The first batch of construction workers from India arrived in Japan in December 2019.[67]
Indians represent a growing and notable influence in the world of IT.[68] As of 2000[update], there were also around 800 Indians working in the IT industry in Japan, up from 120 in 1993.[69] Kenichi Yoshida, a director of the Softbridge Solutions Japan Co., stated in late 2009 that the Indian engineers are becoming the backbone of Japan's IT industry and that "it is important for Japanese industry to work together with the India."[70][71] Japan has been increasingly looking to India as a source for IT workers and talent.[72]
Another 870 Indians were employed ascooks.[69]
Japan also become the new destination for Indian nurses in 2023, with salaries that are over eight times higher than those found in India.[73] Many Indian nurses in Japan come from the private sector because private hospitals in India often offer lower salaries than government hospitals.[74] Indian nurses working in Japan can save over 1 lakh per month.[75]
Others are engaged in trading, importing the Indian handicrafts, garments, precious stones, and marine products, and exporting Japanese electronic goods, textiles, automotive parts, and jewellery.[53]
As of 2018[update] 3,758 people of Indian ancestry, about 10% of the people of Indian origin in Japan and about 30% of the people of Indian origin in Tokyo Metropolis, reside inEdogawa, Tokyo. TheNishikasai [ja] area of Edogawa Ward has a high concentration of Indian origin families. The Indian community increased when engineers came to Japan to fix theY2K bug. Indian people settled in Nishikasai due to the proximity to theTokyo Metro Tozai Line, which connects to their places of employment.[76] India International School of Japan (IISJ) andGlobal Indian International School Tokyo caters to the Indian expatriate community.[76]
A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was installed in Nitta No. 6 Park in the Nishi-Kasai area of Edogawa City, Tokyo, as a gift from the Government of India and a symbol of Japan–India friendship and goodwill.[77] The bronze sculpture, including its pedestal, stands approximately 1.8 m high and 0.6 m wide, and was created by Indian sculptor Naresh Kumawat.[citation needed] The unveiling ceremony took place on 28 July 2024, attended by India’s Minister of External AffairsS. Jaishankar, India’s Ambassador to JapanSibi George, and Edogawa Ward Mayor Takeshi Saito, among others.[77]
The Indian community in Kobe has developed primarily since the late 20th century, as professionals, traders, and business owners from India settled in the Kansai region. Kobe’s role as an international port city and its proximity to Osaka made it an attractive location for commerce, manufacturing, and information technology–related work. Over time, a small but stable Indian population emerged, supported by community organizations, cultural associations, and religious institutions, reflecting the broader pattern of Indian migration to western Japan.[78]
The majority of the Indian restaurants in Japan are a "fusion" of Nepali and Indian cuisine, who are by far the largest South Asian ethnic group in Japan, but many restaurants are also run by Indians and Sri Lankans, the latter of whom number around 35,000 and make the third largest South Asian ethnic group after Nepalis and Indians.[79][80]
The culinary relationship between India and Japan was historically characterized by the indirect transmission of dietary philosophies and ingredients via the spread ofBuddhism and maritime trade.[81] Imperial decrees byEmperor Tenmu in 675 CE that prohibited the consumption of meat.[82] This period saw the development ofShojin ryori, a sophisticated Japanese temple cuisine rooted in IndianAyurvedic principles of balance and the "Rule of Five".[83] While direct trade of "canoe plants" like thecoconut was primarily limited toAustronesian routes between Southeast Asia and coastal India, spiritual and medicinal items such asblack pepper andsugar reached Japan as rare luxuries during theNara period, often brought through the entourage ofBodhisena, who presided over the dedication of theDaibutsu atTōdai-ji.[84]
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Indians in Japan speak a number of different languages and follow various religions; there is little correlation between religion or language and profession, except in the case of the Jains, many of whom work in the jewellery industry.[85] The Jains are generally concentrated around Okachi-machi inTaitō, Tokyo.[86]
There are Sikhgurudwaras in both Kobe and Tokyo; the latter is of more recent provenance, having been founded in 1999 in the basement of an office building.[87] Some Sikhs employed as unskilled labourers in small and medium enterprises had tocut their hair short and removetheir turbans in violation of the principle ofkesh, because their employers are unfamiliar with their customs anddo not give them any latitude in their style of dress. They consider this as just a temporary adaptation to Japanese society. However, this practise is not common among Sikhs in skilled professions such as IT.[88]
Indians who send their children to school in Japan generally select English-medium schools.
The first Indian-specific school,India International School in Japan, was established in 2004 in Tokyo'sKoto ward at the initiative of some of the old trading families based in Tokyo and Yokohama.[89]
TheGlobal Indian International School, a Singapore-based school, has operateda branch in Tokyo since 2006, and plans to open another inYokohama in 2008.[90] They follow the IndianCentral Board of Secondary Education curriculum. Other migrants leave their children behind in their native states, either with grandparents or at the boarding schools, in order to avoid interrupting their education.[89]
Jeevarani "Rani Sanku" Angelina[91] established the Little Angels International School (nowMusashi International School Tokyo), which caters to Japanese students.[92]
The leading motivations for Indian tourists to Japan are eating Japanese cuisine, sightseeing, shopping, walking around and experiencing Japanese culture and history.[93] March 2024 marked the highest ever number yet of inbound tourists from India to Japan.[94] Indian films have periodically used Japan as a filming backdrop, the most iconic beingLove in Tokyo (1966),Youngistaan (2014) andTamasha (2015).
One of the earliest Indian community organisations, the Oriental Club, was established in 1904 in Kobe; it changed its name to The India Club in 1913, and continued operating up to the present day. More were founded in the 1930s, including the Indian-dominated Silk Merchants' Association, the Indian Social Society, and the Indian Chamber of Commerce.[56] In 2000, Indian expatriates living inEdogawa, Tokyo, founded the Indian Community of Edogawa.[86] Others include the Indian Community Activities Tokyo, whoseDiwali celebration draws 2,500 participants, as well as the Indian Merchants Association of Yokohama.[69] In 2017, the All-Japan Association of Indians (AJAI) was established with support from several Indian associations in Japan, with a singular focus on serving the community through welfare activities.[citation needed]
Jagmohan Chandrani, head of the Edogawa Indian Association, want to increase the amount of Indians in Japan in the future, and views Nishi-Kasai as a model for all neighbourhoods in the future. He says the future of Japan is cosmopolitan.[95]
Lekh Juneja, is the chairman and CEO of Kameda Seika, and he advocates for increasing immigration to Japan. He criticise Japanese mindset and culture. He doesn't think it's enough that an employee only speaks or write Japanese.[96]
Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik, the first person of Indian origin to be elected to office in Japan, says that Japanese people will have to change in order to adapt to an increasing number of foreigners.[97]
An article in theJapan Times complained that patriarchy perpetuates among Indian immigrants to Japan, whereas Indian women may feel more empowered in societies such as Berlin, Germany.[98] As in the native Japanese culture, many Indian women to Japan rarely stay for career advancement, but rather prefer staying to become a housewife.[99]
A number of people born in Japan to asylum seekers or illegal immigrants have reported being told to return to India.[100]
There have been complaints about facing Islamophobia and racial profiling.[99] Islam is considered a foreign culture within the framework of Japanese multiculturalism and is treated as such by most Japanese people. Large scale opposition to Muslim migration began in the 1990s, albeit targeting those from the Middle East, and Iranians and Pakistanis in particular.[101] In early 2024 an Indian, along with a Black American and Pakistani, sued the Japanese government for racial discrimination; "There's a very strong image that 'foreigner' equals 'criminal'," Pakistan-born Syed Zain told Japanese reporters.[102]
{{cite book}}:line feed character in|title= at position 23 (help){{cite journal}}:line feed character in|title= at position 41 (help){{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)Unlike other Indian schools, Ms. Angelina said, Little Angels was intended primarily for Japanese children, to meet the need she had found when she sent her sons to Japanese kindergarten.
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