Hiroshima: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with renowned Japanese author, Hindi and Punjabi linguist and Padma Shri awardee Tomio Mizokami in Hiroshima, Japan.

The Prime Minister said that Padma Shri awardee Mizokami has made efforts to popularise Indian culture in Japan.

"In Hiroshima, I was glad to interact with Professor Tomio Mizokami. A Padma Awardee, he is a distinguished Hindi and Punjabi linguist. He has made numerous efforts to make Indian culture and literature popular among the people of Japan," PM Modi tweeted on Saturday.

A professor emeritus at Osaka University, Tomio Mizokami, was conferred a Padma Shri award in 2018 for his contribution in the fields of education and literature.

A contemporary of Yoshiyasi Suzuki, who now lives a life of seclusion, Mizokami led the Jwalamukhi book project. The editing was done by Ved Prakash Singh, Associate Visiting Professor in the Hindi Department of Osaka University.

Between 1980 and 1986, Yoshiyasi Suzuki, who had learnt Hindi at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra at his individual initiative, published a Hindi magazine titled 'Jwalamukhi' in which all the poems, essays, and stories were contributed exclusively by Japanese nationals.

The book was printed in India using a modest grant from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

The magazine was unique and one of a kind. Dwindling financial resources compelled its closure. At the request of the Hindi Department of the Osaka University, the contents of the six editions of the magazine were republished in a book by the Consulate General of India, Osaka-Kobe and it was released on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Hindi Department in the Graduate School of Foreign Studies of the university. On that occasion, it was also decided that the magazine will be revived and henceforth be published annually by Osaka University with CGI's support.

The book contains writings of almost all prominent Japanese Hindi scholars whose cohort was instrumental in building a rich institution of Hindi learning in Japan. A copy of the book cover is attached.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to attend the G7 Summit at the invitation of Japan's PM Fumio Kishida.