Tomo Kawane, India-Japan relations consultant and research scholar joins ACN Advisory Board, an Asian Think Tank

NEW DELHI. Ms. Tomo Kawane, a multi-faceted personality in multiple roles as an independent consultant, research scholar (international development & Cooperation), author, philanthropist, linguist, and an authority on India-Japan relations has joined ACN Editorial Advisory Board as an Honorary Board Member.

Born in Tokyo, Tomo Kawane has been living in India for the past 30 years, including 4 years in post-earthquake Kutch, and she is now based in Ahmedabad.

She is currently a senior researcher at the India Japan Laboratory, Keio University, Japan, and also a management committee member of the Asia Eurasia Research Institute, Tokyo.

Her three-decade-long experience consists of advising multiple governments and corporate entities conducting projects between India and Japan.

She helps and guides the activities of Friends of All, an NGO in India, for the benefit of people in need in the areas of health, education, and vocational training.

Mother of three daughters who are involved in strengthening the artistic, literary, and cultural ties between India, Japan, and the world, she currently lives between Tokyo and Ahmedabad with her husband Prem Kumar, a world-peace crusader and Founder Trustee, Friends Of All. Kumar is well known for his 17000 km-long Walk for Peace from Ahmedabad to Hiroshima, between October 2, 1982, and August 6, 1986.

A graduate from Tsuda College, Tokyo with a thesis on Gandhian philosophy, Tomo Kawane was selected as an I.C.C.R. scholar for conducting her M.A. research in International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (1992-94). Her M.Phil. in Political Science at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda focused on the voluntary sector and development in India.

Japanese is her mother tongue, but she is equally proficient in Hindi, Gujarati, English, French, and German, and has studied Urdu, Punjabi, and Bengali. Among her extensive translation work between these languages, she has also translated a scholarly text in history from Gujarati to Japanese. She served as an expert in the People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI), the first all-India survey of the languages spoken in India.

Her contribution “Japanese Language in India: A Reflection” has been published in English and Other International Languages, People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI) Vol. 37 (Orient Blackswan, 2018).

Post the Gujarat earthquake of 2001, she assisted Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Gujarat to coordinate the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) team sent by the Government of Japan as Japan’s first emergency medical relief team to India.

Through Friends Of All (NGO), she coordinated the temporary shelter project with support from the Embassy of Japan, New Delhi, and the Bal Sampark (Child Contact) Programme for offering basic education to 700 quake-affected children. The Consulate General of Japan at Mumbai invited her as their first external consultant to launch and expand a funding programme for grassroots organizations in India. She has supported the local coordination of Dr. Naoko Fukami’s architectural surveys in post-earthquake Kutch and the coastal areas of Gujarat.

ACN Editorial Advisory Board welcomes Ms. Kawane to this Think Tank, which is all set to get greatly benefitted from her rich experience in multiple domains.

Other Honorary board members include Mr. Euy Don Park, President, Korean Federation in India and VP, Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KOCHAM), Joonhwa Bin, MD, South Asia, KOTRA, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Suresh Chukkapalli, Honorary Consul General of Korea, Telangana, Prof. Do Young Kim, Honorary Director, Korean Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Mr. Sung-chang Hong, Managing Director, NongHyup Bank (NH Bank), Ms. Eun-joo LIM, Founder & Director, Indo-Korean Center, Pune, and Mr. Arshi Krishnachar, India Head, Seoul Semiconductor & Chairman, ISLE, Karnataka to represent Indo-South Korean affairs.

Mr. Hidehito Jay ARAKI, Management Consultant for Japanese companies in India, Mr. Tomio Isogai, Former MD, Sharp India and UAE, Mr. Nobuhiro Takahashi, Former Advisor, Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry India (JCCII), Mr. Prakash Yadav, Co-founder, AJU Group of Japanese Hotels, Mr. Shiv Kothari, Founder, Chain of Tokyo Stores to represent Indo-Japanese affairs, Ms. Ritu Agarwal, Country Head – Japan, Russia, and Southeast Asia, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Kunna Dash, President of India Japan Friendship Center, Kyoto also form the part of ACN Advisory Board.

Mr. Peters Li-ying Chen, Assistant Representative, and Director Education, Taiwan’s Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), Government of Taiwan, ROC, and Ms. Jennifer Makhecha (Tseng, Hsiao-Li) Chairperson, Taiwan Chamber of Commerce Mumbai (TCCM) represent Taiwan in this think tank.

The honorary board members also include Mr. Sanjeev K Ahuja, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Asian Community News (ACN) Network, Mr. Pawan Choudhary, Advisor, Chief Minister, Haryana, (Foreign Cooperation Department), Mr. J C Pegu (IRS), Former Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, New Delhi, Mr. Rohit Kochhar, Founding Member & Managing Partner, Kochhar & Co., and Mr. Mohit Malik, Senior Taxation Expert, and Promoter, GST Academy.