Hamamatsu Eager to Attract Highly Skilled Workers from India; Backed by Yamaha Corp., City Organizes Culture and Music Exchange Programs

By Yasuhiko Sano / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

13:14 JST, August 6, 2025

HAMAMATSU — The municipal government of Hamamatsu is making a concerted effort to attract human resources with high skills and expert knowledge from overseas for the purpose of implementing technological innovation at companies and securing a capable workforce for them.

The city of Hamamatsu, where numerous manufacturing companies are concentrated, is particularly interested in attracting people from India, who are often well-versed in the field of information technology. Therefore, the city is actively organizing exchange programs related to that country.

“‘Namaste’ means ‘hello’ in India,” said Binay Kumar, 54, who runs a curry restaurant in Hamamatsu, as he stood in front of about 60 fifth graders at an elementary school in the city. This was part of an exchange program to teach students about Indian culture and music, held at the school on June 6. The children then learned about India in fun ways, such as trying to answer quiz questions about the Taj Mahal, a famous World Heritage site in India.

The program was jointly organized by the city and musical instruments manufacturer Yamaha Corp. The Hamamatsu-based company is keen on promoting the spread of music education in India and other countries. The program will consist of seven sessions, lasting until January next year. For the final session, there is a plan to hold a joint music exchange event with an elementary school in India by remotely connecting both schools over the internet.

“If we are to attract skilled people from India, it is necessary to support their daily lives, too,” said an official of the municipal government’s industry promotion division when asked about the significance of the program. “For that purpose, it’s important for the residents who will receive them to have opportunities to deepen their understanding of Indian culture, starting in childhood.”

In light of these circumstances, the city is making plans for active economic exchanges with India. It has allocated about \100 million in the initial budget for its general account for fiscal 2025 to cover expenses associated with enhancing coordination between Indian government organizations and local companies in Hamamatsu.

Furthermore, the municipal government is planning to open an international school for multinational students in fiscal 2027 at the earliest, since many high-skilled workers are hoping to bring their families with them when they come to Japan.

“Amid a declining population, local economies are subject to restrictions due to shortage of skilled workers,” Hamamatsu Mayor Yusuke Nakano said regarding acceptance of high-skilled foreign workers. “Having highly skilled workers come to Japan from all over the world is a vital method of addressing this problem. An increasing number of such people are bringing their families when they start living in Japan, so I’d like to prepare a comfortable environment for them.”

Yasutaka Saeki, an associate professor of the Hamamatsu-based Shizuoka University of Arts and Culture’s department of intercultural studies who is well-versed in issues regarding non-Japanese workers, said, “If [a municipality] can attract highly skilled foreign workers who come to live and work there with their families, then their children who grow up there could go on to contribute to the development of the town in the future.

“So even from the viewpoint of sustained development, it is important for companies and municipalities to work together to create a receptive environment for foreign workers,” he said.