ABOUT ASSOCIATION

About Us

Association Profile

About the Okinawa-India Friendship Association

Message

Message from the Officers

India's potential is immense. Its population has already surpassed China's, and its GDP is said to become the world's largest in the future. India is at the forefront of the IT industry, and many people of Indian origin serve as executives at leading global companies, including Google.
Amid the global turmoil stirred up by the "Trump whirlwind," India-pursuing multipolar diplomacy-is attracting attention as a leading middle power and as a leader of a "third pole" distinct from the Eastern and Western blocs.
Moreover, beyond politics and the economy, India's philosophy and thought-centered on harmony and peace-carry great significance for restoring tranquility in today's turbulent times, including through yoga as a health practice.
The OIFA, together with economic organizations, conducts study visits to India and works to promote friendship and collaboration between Okinawa and India. Going forward, through information sharing via our website, study visits, exchange, and collaboration, we hope to advance friendship and cooperation between India and Okinawa and help Okinawa become the part of Japan most closely connected to India.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association Chairman, Mr. Moritake Tomikawa Former Vice-Governor of Okinawa Prefecture. Professor Emeritus of Okinawa International University. He has played a central role in shaping Okinawa Prefecture's economic policies.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association Representative Founder, Mr. Ryuko Hira 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 advisor to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Japan Tourism Agency, as well as India's Ministry of Tourism.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association First Chairman, Mr. Takeshisa Arakaki Former Vice-Governor of Okinawa Prefecture. Chairman of the Okinawa Peace Memorial Foundation, he devoted himself to the promotion and development of Okinawa in various fields.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association Advisor, Mr. Keiichi Inamine Governor of Okinawa at the time of the 2000 Okinawa Summit. The summit helped draw attention to Okinawan culture, which contributed to the hospitality extended to world leaders, and broadened Okinawa's tourism base. It also provided an opportunity for Okinawa's "soft" assets-its nature and culture-to be shared with the world and gain international attention.

Okinawa-India Friendship Association Secretary-General, Mr. Masato Mori Managing Director, Hotel Management International K.K. Executive Vice President, ORA Corporation K.K. He has made a long-standing commitment to mutual exchange between Okinawa and India.

Founding Statement

Prospectus on the Founding of the OIFA

The current chairman is Mr. Moritake Tomikawa, former Vice-Governor of Okinawa Prefecture.

As of 2024, the Association has 110 members.

In recent years, relations between the two countries have grown closer economically, and Okinawa and India in particular have maintained deep cultural ties.

For example, in the 14th century, the Ryukyu Kingdom traded with China, Southeast Asia, and India, bringing back the kasuri (ikat) and dyeing-and-weaving techniques seen on the continent at that time, giving birth to the Ryukyus' distinctive dyeing-and-weaving culture, such as Ryukyu Kasuri and tsumugi.

The lion statue, regarded in India as a symbol of protection and faith, also passed through China and the Korean Peninsula to become Okinawa's Shisa, a symbol for warding off evil.

Furthermore, just as India-long under the rule of major powers-won its independence from the United Kingdom, Okinawa too made its way through the era of U.S. military rule after World War II and, as the only place in Japan where a ground battle was fought, continues to walk the path of peace today with profound emotion.

Despite differences in ethnicity and historical background, 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 continue to strengthen the friendly ties between Japan and India and grow into a broader movement.

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

Just as Okinawa-now one of Japan's leading tourism prefectures-holds high expectations for the future markets of the Asia-Pacific region, India, with its remarkable IT-industry development, also strongly hopes for a friendly partnership between Okinawa and India to promote its domestic industries.

Such positive exchange will surely develop into something genuinely meaningful for both Okinawa and India in many respects-including the spirit of the times and spirituality-bringing out the best in one another and elevating one another.

Based on these hopes and aspirations, cultural and political cooperation, as well as warm cooperation from supporting organizations in various fields, is essential for the people of Okinawa to gain a broader and deeper understanding of India, for building ties of exchange between Okinawa and India, and for Okinawa to develop as an Asia-Pacific hub for tourism and IT in the 21st century.

We have formed the "Okinawa-India Friendship Association" to foster goodwill between Okinawa and India and close communication and cooperation in the fields of culture, the economy, and more, and we wish to further deepen the friendship and goodwill between Okinawa and India. At the same time, we believe that if we can achieve the objectives of this Association with the active support of all those who take an interest 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 the countries of the Asia-Pacific.