'Built lasting bridges': How Padma Shri Tomio Mizokami shaped India–Japan cultural ties

Renowned Japanese scholar and linguist Professor Tomio Mizokami, Professor Emeritus at Osaka University, is widely regarded as one of the most influential cultural bridges between India and Japan, with a lifelong commitment to Indian languages, literature and education. His contribution was formally recognised in 2018, when he was conferred the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Born in 1941 in Kobe, Japan, Mizokami developed an early fascination with Indian civilisation, philosophy and languages. After completing his undergraduate studies in Indian Studies at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies in 1965, he travelled to India, studying Hindi in Allahabad and Bengali at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan. He later earned his PhD from the University of Delhi in 1972 and carried out pioneering sociolinguistic research on language contact in Punjab, work that gained international recognition.




Over several decades, Mizokami taught Indian languages at Osaka University and later served as Professor Emeritus from 2007. He also taught Punjabi at the University of California, Berkeley, expanding the global reach of Indian linguistic studies. Proficient in a wide range of Indian and European languages, he is widely acknowledged as the first Japanese scholar to conduct extensive academic research on Punjabi.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations described his work as central to strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries. “Professor Tomio Mizokami is a true embodiment of cultural diplomacy. Through his work, generations in Japan have come to understand India through its languages and culture,” an ICCR official said. “His academic and translation work has added exceptional depth to India–Japan relations.”

During the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Mizokami and praised his contribution, saying, “People like Professor Mizokami have built lasting bridges between India and Japan through language and literature.”

Reflecting on his journey, Mizokami said: “Through Indian languages, I discovered not just words, but the soul of India.”
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