5 Japanese language education supporters dispatched to India

The five will assist Japanese language teachers and introduce Japanese culture at secondary schools in the Delhi area over six months.

It is the first time that Nihongo Partners are dispatched to a South Asian country, as the program run by the Japan Foundation has previously focused on Southeast Asia.

The Japan Foundation plans to carry out a similar dispatch to India continuously over a decade starting this year, as part of an agreement reached at a summit of Japanese and Indian leaders last month to increase personnel exchanges between the two countries.

Hiroto Kishi, a 21-year-old Nihongo Partner and university student from Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, who is aspiring to become a teacher, said in a speech at the party that he will do his best to "become a bridge between Japan and India."

Kotori Takagi, a 23-year-old Nihongo Partner and university student from Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, decided to apply for the program after being inspired by India's food culture and the vibrant personality of its people during her previous visit to the country.

"I want to show Japan as it really is" through cultural exchanges, Takagi said.