Visions for India

Born in Kyoto in 1959, she graduated from Kyoto University and began her career at JICA, specializing in educational development. She held key leadership roles including Senior Vice President, Director General of the Human Development Department, and Chief Representative in Bangladesh. She studied at UNESCO’s IIEP, completed the DEA at Paris V University, and earned a Ph.D. from Nagoya University. Her work has shaped Japan’s international education cooperation and contributed to academic research on development and higher education. Since 2025, she has served as Executive Director of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, leading strategic dialogue in Asia, peacebuilding, and Japan-China exchange. She also serves as Senior Research Advisor at the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute, and as Director or Councilor for several organizations including the Honda Foundation, Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, Care International Japan, and the Broadcast Program International Exchange Center.

Mr. Tejasvi Surya, 35, is a prominent young Indian political leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holding multiple responsibilities: Member of Parliament from Karnataka, Chairman of a Parliamentary Consultative Committee and National President of the Youth Wing of BJP.
A second-term Parliamentarian, he represents the Bangalore South constituency and Chairman of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Jan Vishwas Bill, which is aimed at decriminalising the laws. He is also currently the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of BJP since 2020.
A lawyer by profession, he co-founded Trust Law, a Bengaluru-based legal firm. Mr. Surya was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during his student days. Over the years, he held several key organisational roles within the BJP, including Spokesperson for the state unit of Karnataka and in charge of its digital communication team. At the age of 28 he was elected to lower house of Parliament in 2019.
Besides being the Chairperson of the Select Committee on the Jan Vishwas Bill, he is also a member of Parliamentary committees, including Public Accounts; Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing; Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change; and the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
In 2008, he founded the NGO Arise India, which focused on the education of children of migrant labourers and the empowerment of economically disadvantaged girl children. Mr. Surya is known for his consistent advocacy on issues related to urbanisation, emerging technologies, and youth empowerment.

Mr. Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, 47, is an MP from the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), the ruling party in the state of Mizoram, holding multiple responsibilities: Member of Parliament representing Mizoram constituency, Leader of ZPM in Lok Sabha, and Member of the National Executive Committee- ZPM.
A first-term Parliamentarian, and the only directly elected representative from the state of Mizoram in the Lok Sabha. Before entering active politics, he worked in the public sector as an Assistant Manager at the Mizoram Agriculture Marketing Corporation (MAMCO). He later transitioned to the private sector, becoming a Partner in the Three Brothers Enterprise partnership firm.
As a Parliamentarian, he serves as a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence and the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament.

At the national level, Mr. Vanlalhmangaiha is a consistent and strong advocate for issues concerning Northeast India. His focus areas include infrastructure development, connectivity, promotion of exports, farmers’ welfare, education, healthcare, and youth empowerment, positioning him as one of the prominent voices of the Northeast in India’s national political landscape.

Mr. Manish Tewari, 60, is a former Union Minister of State (Independent charge) and a senior leader of Indian National Congress, the largest opposition party. He is currently a Senior Spokesperson of the party, General Secretary of its Foreign Affairs Department, and a Permanent Invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

He is a third-term MP, represents the Chandigarh constituency and had earlier represented Anandpur Sahib and Ludhiana. Mr. Tewari served as a Union Minister of State (Independent charge) of Information and Broadcasting during 2012-14. A senior lawyer by profession, he began his political journey as a student activist. He went on to become the national President of the party’s students wing-NSUI as well as its Youth wing-Indian Youth Congress. He was also a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. Mr. Tewari’s father was a Parliamentarian and his grandfather was a minister in the state of Punjab.

Mr. Tewari is currently a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Finance and the Joint Committee on the Constitution amendment on simultaneous elections. He was earlier members of multiple Parliamentary standing committees including Defence, Law & Justice, and the joint committees of Personal Data protection bill and the committee on multi-state Co-operatives amendment bill. He is an accomplished author with four books published including a book on India’s national security, 10 Flash Points: 20 Years of National Security Situations that Impacted India.

Mr. Tewari is known for his consistent advocacy on constitutional reform, national security, and foreign policy.

Mr Ryohei Kasai is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Center for South Asian Studies of Gifu Women’s University, and a director of the Japan-India Association. His research focuses on South Asian international politics, India-Japan relations, and Indian and Pakistani politics. He has professional experience in China, India, and Pakistan. He translated into Japanese two books by Dr. S. Jaishankar: The India Way and Why Bharat Matters. His publications and translations include works on the Arthashastra as well as studies on Japan’s military campaign toward Imphal during World War II.

Mr. Shotaro Kumagai joined the Japan Research Institute in 2008. His professional experience includes service at the Economic and Social Research Institute of Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, the Singapore branch of Mitsui Sumitomo Bank, and a visiting fellowship at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. His research specializes in economic affairs in Southeast Asia and South Asia, with a particular focus on Thailand and India. He has published analyses and reports on Asian economic issues through various media outlets for more than 15 years.