Advertisement
The Japanese are coming: India’s ‘Detroit of Asia’ feels the force of foreign cash
- Japan’s automotive industry has turned Tamil Nadu’s state capital Chennai into the ‘Detroit of Asia’ as carmakers take advantage of tax breaks and new infrastructure
- Business ties have also spawned culinary and cultural connections, but competition looms from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Japanese couple Yuto Niinaga and Chiharu Obata travelled thousands of miles for their wedding – to Madurai, a small city in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Madurai is neither an exotic locale nor a famed wedding destination, but the pair’s affinity with Tamil culture drew them to the temple town.
With the expat bride decked in a traditional Indian yellow silk sari and sporting the red pigment vermilion on her forehead, and the groom wrapped in a silk dhoti, their attire thrilled the local media, which covered the event extensively.
Advertisement
The couple’s choice of Madurai is a sign of growing ties between Japan and the Indian state. Obata, a software engineer turned researcher, undertook linguistic research in Tamil Nadu at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 2014, an experience she says intensified her affection for the place. She is one of an growing number of Japanese professionals to have spent time in Tamil Nadu.
Advertisement
WHY TAMIL NADU?
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x