Yogi Enters Japanese Politics: Yogendra Puranik Becomes First Ethnic Indian To Win An Election In Japan

Yogendra Puranik, who goes by the nickname “Yogi”, has become the first ethnic Indian to contest and win an election in Japan, News18 has reported.

Puranik, a naturalised Japanese citizen, has been elected to the Edogawa ward assembly of the Japanese capital Tokyo. Backed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, he secured 6,477 votes, the fifth highest of the 226,561 valid ballots cast, in the 21 April poll which were part of the unified local elections held across Japan.

“I want to be a bridge between Japanese and foreigners,” Puranik said on 22 April, as reported by Asahi Shimbun.

Edogawa Ward has the highest number of Indian residents among Tokyo’s 23 wards with around 4,300 registered Indian nationals, accounting for more than 10 per cent of Indians living in Japan.

Yogi first visited Japan in 1997 when he was a university student in India. He returned two years later to study, and in 2001 came back to work as an engineer. He then worked for a bank and other companies and has resided in Edogawa Ward since 2005.