MILHS Hosts NIHONGO Partners Caravan in a First for an Indian University, Highlighting Japan’s Career Pathways 

Bengaluru : Japanese language learning could become a new gateway to higher education and career opportunities in Japan for students, with the Manipal Institute of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (MILHS), a constituent unit of Manipal academy of Higher education (MAHE) an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, becoming the first university-level institution in India to host the NIHONGO Partners Caravan Programme organised by The Japan Foundation, New Delhi.

The two-day programme brought representatives of The Japan Foundation and native Japanese speakers to the MAHE Bengaluru campus for language-immersion sessions, cultural workshops and conversations with students on university life, higher education and career opportunities in Japan, marking a significant step in bringing language learning, cultural immersion and international opportunities closer to Indian campuses amid growing student and skilled-talent mobility between the two countries.

The programme assumes significance as India and Japan seek to expand exchanges involving students, professionals and skilled personnel. Under the Action Plan for India-Japan Human Resource Exchange and Cooperation announced in 2025, the two countries have set a target of facilitating the two-way exchange of 5 lakh people over five years, including 50,000 skilled personnel and potential talent from India to Japan.

For Bengaluru, home to a large student population and a concentration of technology, engineering, management and design institutions, the initiative highlights the growing relevance of language ability and intercultural competence alongside technical and professional qualifications.

Dr Shilpa Kalyan, In-Charge Director, MILHS said, “Learning a language becomes more meaningful when students engage directly with its people and culture. The NIHONGO Partners Caravan offers our students that experience while encouraging them to explore Japan as a destination for higher education and career opportunities. We look forward to extending the next edition to students from different disciplines across the MAHE Bengaluru campus.” 

Students enrolled in Japanese Language and Intercultural Competence courses at MILHS interacted directly with native Japanese speakers through conversation cards, language games and guided discussions. The sessions enabled students to practise their language skills while understanding spoken rhythm, everyday expressions and cultural nuances that may be difficult to acquire solely through classroom instruction.

The programme also provided students with exposure to Japanese traditions and cultural practices, including origami meal-ring craft, the seasonal artistry of wagashi, mizuhiki knot craft, rakugo, the creation of original yōkai and a Japanese autumn song. A two-way exchange explored similarities and differences between university life in India and Japan. Conversations addressed campus experiences, food, festivals, recreation, family, friendships and students’ future plans for higher education and careers.

The visiting delegation included Taisei Toyomaru, Director, Japanese Language, The Japan Foundation, Japanese-language advisers Ken Yano and Sayaka Aoki, NIHONGO Partners Programme coordinators Kanako Matsuo and Maiko Shimizu, programme coordinator Rajvir Singh and NIHONGO Partners health adviser Yuki Mitani. 

The initiative builds on MILHS’s introduction of Japanese-language classes in 2024 in partnership with the Saachi Japanese Language Institute. The language-immersion session was coordinated by Lata Naik, founder and chief trainer of the institute. The programme at MILHS was coordinated by Amrutha Yathish, Assistant Director, International Collaborations, and Dr Sumathi N, Head of the Department of Languages and Literature.

MILHS and The Japan Foundation are now looking at continuing the engagement. Another NIHONGO Partners Caravan is planned for April 2027 and is expected to benefit approximately 80 to 100 students. Unlike the first edition, the proposed programme is expected to be opened to Japanese-language learners as well as interested students from other institutes at the MAHE Bengaluru campus. This could bring students from technology, management, design and other disciplines into the language and intercultural-learning initiative.

The development is relevant to Bengaluru, given the city’s concentration of engineering colleges, technology companies, startups and global capability centres. Japanese-language ability and cultural fluency could become valuable supplementary skills as educational and industrial ties between India and Japan expand.

The next phase of this collaboration will be to translate this cultural and linguistic exposure into sustained academic opportunities. MILHS has indicated that the programme could eventually contribute to stronger partnerships with Japanese higher education institutions, although formal university collaborations, student exchanges, scholarships, internships or placement arrangements have not yet been announced.

****