Our Chief Patron: Presently, Mr. Motoyoshi Noro, Hon'ble Consul-General of Japan in Kolkata is our Chief Patron. We cordially welcome him and Madam Noro for their presence once again in Kolkata A friendly and jolly Mr. Noro had been in Kolkata in 1970s as Vice-Consul. Now Mr. Noro as Consul-General, an important diplomatic personality, would yet be found endowed with his usual jolly mood and unforgettable amiability. He is sure to bring Indian and Japanese minds more and more closer, while we hope his initiative will strengthen economic bonds between our two countries. Recently, in an informal discussion with Mr. Noro, he expressed that the top leaders of Japan should visit the city of Kolkata which has a great joyous potential for deeper friendship.

Our Next Major Programme :
1) Japanese Text Reading Competition on Saturday, the 8th September, 2007. All students of Japanese language are eligible to take part in this competition.
2) Japanese Language Speech Contest (Eastern India) will be held on Saturday, the 6th October, 2007. This will be the 20th J.L.Speech Contest to be organized by us in collaboration with The Japan Foundation, Tokyo, and the Consulate-General of Japan and Bharat-Nippon Maitree Sangha.
3) The Japanese Language Proficiency Test to be held on Sunday, the 2nd December, 2007. Application forms will be available with us from 1st August, 2007, and the last date for submission of the application to us (Indo-Japan Welfare and Cultural Association, Kolkata) is 7th August, 2007.
4) Japanese Language Teachers' Seminar to be organized by The Japan Foundation, New Delhi at our premises probably in August, 2007.

Excerpts from our e-mail House Bulletin No. 2 of February, 2006:

Q "As we mentioned earlier, the age of direct contact between India and Japan began from the time when jute from India found its market in Japan about 150 years back. In fact, it was the visit of Swami Vivekananda to Japan that made the Indians feel that a beautiful country existed in the East. Tenshin Okaura's presence in Kolkata and later the first Nobel Laureate of Asia, Rabindra Nath Tagore's tour of Japan opened the door of deep cultural relations in the modern age in a wider scale. The Visva-Bharati (University) is the best example in regard to the relations between India and Japan. I feel that the Indian revolutionary Rash Behari Bose (Behari Bose), India's great leader, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (Chandra Bose) and Justice Radha Benode Pal (Judge Paul) of the Tokyo Tribunal are those personalities who had left a permanent impression in shaping Indo-Japanese relations. Doctoral and post-doctoral researches should be sponsored in the university level and in the level of Japanese Study Centers by the Japan Foundation or by funding companies.

Our Centre is eager to take up research studies on those personalities if proper assistance, financial or otherwise, is extended to us by any Japanese and/or Indian organizations.

We invite write-ups on the above five personalities for an Academic Seminar to be held conveni-ently by us under the theme "Contributions of Indian Historical Personalities in strengthening Indo-Japanese Relations"

Our Japanese Language Courses:
Beginners and other higher courses:

• From January to June &) Admission closes in December.
• From July to December ) Admission closes in June.

We provide audio-visual facilities and Tape Listening facilities (for Chookai of JLPT).
We also hold special coaching for preparations for JLPT.
Holding intensive or crash courses for individuals or small group/s on request.
Ikebana, Origami and Japanology Classes : Can be held by us any time of the year at intending learners' request.
Importance of Japanese language learning :
Some months back, the Prime Ministers of Japan and India held the view that 30,000 people in India should learn Japanese Language by 2010 A.D. for understanding the minds of each country's people deeply.
May I take this opportunity to say to our readers that after learning of Japanese language, there might be good scopes for Japanese-knowing Indians for various types of social, and commercial needs in Japan.