By Sitaram Mewati – Mumbai
The newly appointed Consul General of Japan in Mumbai, Her Excellency Sato Hitomi, paid a courtesy call on Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma at Lok Bhavan on May 4, 2026. During the meeting, she highlighted plans to strengthen academic, cultural and economic ties between India and Japan ahead of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year.
H.E. Hitomi, who studied Hindi in Allahabad and speaks the language fluently, said she now plans to learn Marathi as well. Having spent nearly two years studying in India and served for over nine years in assignments related to India, she noted that learning Marathi would be easier since both Hindi and Marathi use the Devanagari script.
During the meeting, she informed the Governor that cooperation between Maharashtra and Japan was already progressing in sectors such as metro rail, bullet trains and expressways, and would now be expanded to education, sports and culture. She also highlighted ongoing cooperation between Wakayama Prefecture and Maharashtra, besides Japanese support for skill development initiatives involving industrial training institutes in the state.
Welcoming the new envoy, Governor Radhakrishnan urged her to enhance university-level academic collaboration during her tenure. He pointed out that Savitribai Phule Pune University already has a Japanese language department, while a similar department has recently been started in Nagpur. The Governor also proposed cultural exchanges, translation of Japanese and Marathi literature, and institution of awards for translators with support from Japanese companies operating in Maharashtra.
He further observed that Japanese brands such as Panasonic, Hitachi and Daikin have been present in India for so long that they have become deeply integrated into Indian households, with many consumers almost perceiving them as Indian brands.
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