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協会概要

Association Profile

沖印友好協会について

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役員のご挨拶

インドの可能性は大です。人口はすでに中国を凌駕し、GDPも将来、世界一になると言われています。IT産業の先端を行き、googleの会長をはじめ世界の一流企業の役員に多くのインド出身者がいます。
トランプ旋風で世界が混乱する中で、多極外交を進めるインドはミドルパワーの雄として、東西陣営とは別の第３極のリーダーとして注目されています。
また政治、経済のみならず、調和と平和を主とするインドの哲学思想は、現在の混乱した世相においても、ヨガ健康法も含めて、安寧を取り戻す大きな意味を持ちます。
沖印友好協会は、経済団体と共にインドを訪問視察し、沖印の友好・連携に力を入れています。今後もHPを通じた情報発信、視察、交流、連携等により、インドと沖縄の友好・連携を進化させ、日本の中で最もインドに近しい沖縄になりたいと思います。

Okinawa-India Friendship Association (OIFA) Mr. Moritake TOMIKAWA, Current Chairman, OIFA Former Vice Governor of Okinawa Prefecture. Professor Emeritus of Okinawa International University, who has played a central role in organizing the economic policies of Okinawa Prefecture.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association (OIFA) Mr. Ryuko HIRA, Representative Founder, OIFA Chairman, Indian Association of Commerce and Industry in Japan Representative Director, SAI HIRA INDIA FOUNDATION To promote Japan-India tourism exchange, he is also active as an expert in the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Tourism Agency of Japan, as well as in the Ministry of Tourism of India.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association (OIFA) Mr. Takeshisa ARAKAKI, First Chairman, OIFA Former Vice Governor of Okinawa Prefecture. Chairman of the Okinawa Peace Memorial Foundation, who has devoted himself to the promotion and development of Okinawa in various fields.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association (OIFA) Mr. Keiichi INAMINE, Senior Advisor, OIFA In Okinawa, where the summit was held, attention to the culture that contributed to the hospitality of the heads of state increased and the tourist base expanded and this was a chance for Okinawa to attract attention for its soft aspects (nature and culture) as it was communicated to the world.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association (OIFA) Mr. Masato Mori, Secretary-General, OIFA Managing Director, Hotel Management International K.K. Executive Vice President, ORA CORPORATION K.K. Longstanding commitment to mutual exchange between Okinawa and India

Founding Statement

沖印友好協会発足の趣意書

The current president is Mr. Moritake Tomikawa, former Vice Governor of Okinawa Prefecture. The number of members as of 2024 is 110 people.

In recent years, relations between Japan and India have grown closer, including economically, and Okinawa and India in particular maintain a deep cultural relationship.

For example, in the 14th century, the Ryukyu Kingdom traded with China, Southeast Asia, and India, bringing back the dyeing techniques found on the continent at that time, giving birth to a dyeing and weaving culture (Ryukyu Kasuri, Tsumugi, etc.) unique to the Ryukyu Islands.

The lion statue, a symbol of protection and exaltation in India, also passed through China and the Korean peninsula to become the Okinawan Shisa, a symbol of protection against evil.

Furthermore, just as India won its independence from the United Kingdom after being a dependency of a major power for many years, Okinawa, which was the only place in Japan where ground battles were fought and the U.S. military ruled after World War II, is walking today with a sense of peace.

Despite the differences of their ethnic and historical backgrounds, the people of Okinawa and India seem to share a kindred wisdom that runs deep in their hearts. We firmly believe that this feeling of closeness will become the love of friendship between Japan and India, and that it will continue to grow in large waves.

From this standpoint, the time has come for Okinawa and India to deepen their understanding beyond differences in language, customs, traditions, and climate, and to find greater expectations and possibilities for international exchange in the areas of culture, education, and economy.

Okinawa, now one of Japanʼs leading tourist prefecture, has high expectations for the future markets of the Asia-Pacific region. Also, we are strongly hoping for a friendly partnership between Okinawa and India, where the IT industry is growing remarkably, and for the promotion of domestic industry.

Such a positive exchange will surely develop into a mutually beneficial and mutually enhancing exchange that is meaningful to both Okinawa and India in many ways, such as in terms of timeliness and spirituality.

Based on these hopes and aspirations, we believe that cultural and political cooperation, as well as warm cooperation with supporting organizations in various fields, is essential for Okinawa's development as an Asia-Pacific hub in the tourism and IT industries of the 21st century, as well as for Okinawa's important role in creating ties of exchange between Okinawa and India, and for the people of Okinawa to know India more deeply and broadly. Warm cooperation is essential for Okinawa to develop as a hub of the Asia-Pacific region in the tourism and IT industries of the 21st century.

We have formed the “Okinawa-India Friendship Association (OIFA)” to further deepen the friendship and goodwill between Okinawa and India, as well as to promote close cultural and economic contacts and cooperation between the two countries. If we can achieve the objectives of this association with the active support of those who are interested in Okinawa and India, it will not only develop friendly relations between Okinawa and India, but will also contribute in no small measure to the ideal of establishing lasting peace as a new center of exchange for Asia-Pacific countries.