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Padma Shri Dr. Tomio Mizokami and His Enduring Contribution to India–Japan Cultural Diplomacy
- peeush srivastava
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Padma Shri Dr. Tomio Mizokami is a distinguished Japanese linguist, author, and academic whose lifelong work has played a transformative role in strengthening India–Japan cultural and people-to-people relations. Born in 1941 in Kobe, Japan, his intellectual journey reflects decades of deep engagement with India’s languages, literature, and society.
Dr. Mizokami graduated in 1965 from the Department of Indian Studies at Osaka University of Foreign Studies, marking the beginning of his formal academic immersion into India. Between 1965 and 1968, he pursued advanced language studies in India, studying Hindi in Allahabad and Bengali at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan—experiences that profoundly shaped his understanding of India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
In 1968, he joined the Hindi Department of Osaka University of Foreign Studies as a research assistant, contributing to the early institutionalisation of Hindi studies in Japan. His academic association with India deepened further when he earned his PhD in 1972 from the University of Delhi, Department of Modern Indian Languages. In 1983, he completed another doctoral research at the University of Delhi, focusing on Language Contact in Punjab: A Sociolinguistic Study of Migrants’ Language, a pioneering work that examined linguistic interaction, migration, and social identity in the Indian subcontinent.
A Professor Emeritus at the Graduate School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University, Dr. Mizokami is internationally recognised for his scholarship in Hindi and Punjabi and for advancing Indian language studies in Japan. His decades of teaching, mentoring, and research have shaped generations of Japanese scholars and contributed significantly to cross-cultural academic exchange.
In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the promotion of Indian literature, language, and culture in Japan, Dr. Mizokami was conferred the Padma Shri in 2018. Among his most celebrated works is “Jwalamukhi”, an anthology of writings from the 1980s by pioneering Japanese scholars who laid the foundation of Hindi learning in Japan.
His role in strengthening bilateral ties was further highlighted during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on 20 May 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Dr. Tomio Mizokami. The Prime Minister noted that such academic and cultural interactions deepen mutual understanding and reinforce the India–Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
Continuing his active engagement with India, Consul General Chandru Appar met Dr. Tomio Mizokami ahead of his visit under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Academic Visitors Programme. Dr. Mizokami expressed his gratitude to ICCR and conveyed special appreciation to Nandini Singla, Director General, ICCR, for enabling sustained cultural and scholarly exchange between the two nations.
Dr. Tomio Mizokami’s life and work exemplify how language, literature, and scholarship function as enduring pillars of diplomacy. Through sustained academic commitment and cultural dialogue, he has helped build intellectual bridges that continue to shape India–Japan relations, ensuring that cultural cooperation remains central to the bilateral partnership.