5 Jul 2009, 1200 hrs IST

Tokyo, Paying rich tributes to the Indian diaspora in Tokyo, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Saturday said they are playing a key role in building "new bridges" between India and Japan.

"You have kept the culture, spirit and the idea of India alive in your adopted home. Your contributions to sharing the dynamism of the new India which is emerging today are equally noteworthy," he said at a gathering of Indian community in Tokyo.

There are some 21,000 people of Indian origin in Japan and a quarter of them have come here in the past three years. Indians first came to Japan about 140 years ago.

"As you help to build new bridges between India and Japan, I am confident that you will do so with diligence, creativity and enterprise that have become the hallmark of the Indian diaspora all over the world," Krishna, who is currently on a four-day official visit to Japan, said.

Hailing the stellar role played by the Indian community in promoting friendship between the peoples of India and Japan, Krishna appreciated the close links the diaspora has maintained with the motherland.

"You have cultivated deep bonds with the Japanese community and enjoy their confidence and trust. You are helping drive bilateral economic relations," the minister told the gathering of businessmen, academicians and people from the world of art and culture.

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