NEW DELHI: Nobuhiro Takahashi – a senior executive with a Japanese company and a JCCII Acting Member has been celebrating his birthday in a very special way for the last three years in India.
On May 8, 2020, on his 57th birthday, Takahashi scored a hat-trick when he received a very special birthday greeting e-card from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the third time consecutively since 2018.
The e-greeting card which carried the picture of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mahabodhi Temple, Bihar besides the signatures of Narendra Modi, read, “Dear Nobuhiro, Wish you a very happy birthday, may this year bring more happiness and success in your life.”
The birthday card received from the PM office in 2018 carried the photo of Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra, and of Mahabodhi Temple in 2019 also.
The PMO sending greeting cards carrying pictures of Indian heritage sites probably knows his love for these Indian monuments of historical significance.
Born in Aichi prefecture in Japan, Nobuhiro Takahashi came to India in 2008 and has been living here since then. The Managing Executive Officer (MEO) with Denso International India – an automotive parts manufacturer, Takahashi had joined this organization immediately after his graduation.
“I am in Gurugram NCR fighting COVID-19 with our Indian community. This birthday card encourages me very much to carry on our fights against the pandemic as one of the non-immigrant citizens. It’s a great honour to have received birthday greetings from honourable Prime Minister of India for consecutively three years,” said the beaming Takahashi.
Takahashi is one of those India-based Japanese expatriates who decided to stay in India and fight the demon of COVID-19 and brave the situation when an opportunity came to leave the country to go back to Japan.
As many as 6000 Japanese expatriates returned to Japan between March 23 and May 5 by JAL and ANA flights as the Indian government offered them the opportunity.
An acting member of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII), Takahashi has been actively involved in raising the concern of the Japanese companies and offering his valuable suggestions to the state as well as the central government for formulating policies.
Takahashi was instrumental in raising the Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) issue on the JCCII platform following which the Indian government abolished DDT.
The Haryana government had awarded Takahashi with the Special Recognition Certificate of in January 2017 towards his contribution in making activities and persuasions for infrastructural development to help industries and support business expansion through new project establishments of Denso in the Haryana state.
Takahashi had shared his valuable recommendations and suggestions for the construction of Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway, also known as Western Peripheral Road to the Haryana government.
The then PWD Works (B&R), Forests, Architecture & Civil Aviation Minister Rao Narbir Singh had handed over the citation to Takahashi.
Takahashi is an avid traveler and fond of visiting and studying Indian heritage sites. He has traveled about 3000 kilometers in India for the purpose and enjoyed varied types of Indian cuisines as well.
“I have made presentations titled The Way to World Heritage Sites in India covering three types of heritage site temples – Southern Pattern, Northern pattern, and Blended pattern, at the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi during an event organized by JCCII. I am very fond of visiting various places across India and study about the world heritage sites,” said Takahashi.
Takahashi said that the Modi government had done a praiseworthy work of allowing ensuring the trouble-free return of thousands of Japanese expatriates back to Japan.
On April 10, Japan PM Shinzo Abe during his telephonic discussion with Modi had expressed gratitude for the Indian government’s assistance with the departure of Japanese nationals from India. Abe had asked for their continued cooperation.
In his response, Modi thanked the Japanese government for the assistance they provided to the Indian passengers and crew from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship and assured Abe that his government would continue assisting Japanese nationals residing in India.
(Also read: Right time for India to abolish Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT), attract FDI: JCCII) 
