India’s Ambassador Sibi George delivers a lecture at TUJ on February 4, 2025.
India’s Ambassador to Japan, Sibi George, visited the Japan campus of Temple University (TUJ) on February 4, 2025, to deliver a special presentation entitled “The India-Japan Partnership in the Indo-Pacific and Beyond.” TUJ students, faculty and staff had the opportunity to hear from a top Indian diplomat who discussed a wide range of topics, including India’s economic and diplomatic relations with Japan, as well as history, education, culture, and future.
TUJ Dean Matthew Wilson welcomed Ambassador George and led a brief introduction to the campus. The standing room only lecture drew strong interest from among TUJ’s multi-national student body. Following his presentation, students and faculty engaged with the ambassador in a lively Q&A session.
During his remarks, Ambassador George highlighted recent engagements between Indian and Japanese leaders at major international meetings, including the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), involving Australia, India, Japan and the United States. George also underscored India’s important role in the Group of 20 Summit, which was established in response to the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. He discussed the geopolitical and geo-economic challenges facing India and its regional partners, as well as the initiatives India has undertaken to promote a more open and freer Indo-Pacific region.
Regarding relations with Japan, the ambassador noted the growing presence of Japanese companies expanding business in India, the world’s fifth-largest economy,* as well as the increasing number of Indian students coming to Japan, including many at TUJ. However, he expressed his desire to see more Japanese businesses opening operations in India and a greater number of Indian students pursuing higher education in Japan.
Ambassador George said he is working to deepen the understanding of Japanese education among Indian students and sees significant potential for growing interest. In response to an inquisitive student, he remarked that “I see a lot of connections happening now. I’m sure the numbers will increase in coming years.”
The number of Indian students ranks within the top 10 nationalities represented within TUJ’s diverse student body of over 2,500 undergraduate students from about 80 countries and regions. Temple Japan also maintains partnerships with two top universities in India — Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technologies, and O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU).
As part of its collaboration with JGU, TUJ will host 40 Indian students at its new Kyoto satellite for a custom-designed summer program in June and July. The program will focus on the historical development strategies that influence business and management practices in Japan. TUJ aims to provide JGU students with a comprehensive understanding of key factors, influencing Japanese business, management and policy landscape today while carefully acknowledging national and cultural differences.
The ambassador spoke in a friendly and warm manner throughout his lecture. When asked about his favorite Indian dish, he shared his food preferences with a smile. “Almost everything,” he said. “I come from South India, so I like Indian biryani.” To further enrich students’ understanding of India, the ambassador generously presented to TUJ’s library over 20 titles on topics such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, history, religion and yoga.
TUJ regularly invites distinguished foreign government officials and diplomats to campus to provide students valuable opportunities to engage with high-level officials and influential public figures. In August 2024, students had the opportunity to meet with U.S. Surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy, who served as surgeon general under Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Other notable recent guests include Senegalese Ambassador to Japan Jean-Antoine Diouf in April 2024, Noriyuki Shikata of the Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan in September 2023, U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves September 2023 and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel in February 2023.
*Reference from the World Bank. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true
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