->Keith D: /* Political career */ Fix ISO date format

2021-11-13T19:58:33Z

Political career: Fix ISO date format

New page

{{short description|Japanese politician}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{BLP sources|date=April 2020}}
{{more footnotes|date=August 2009}}
{{Expand Japanese|プラニク・ヨゲンドラ|date=November 2020}}
{{POV|date=July 2021}}
}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Yogendra Puranik
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = mr
| image =
| image_size = 250px
| caption =
| office = Member of the [[Edogawa, Tokyo|Edogawa]] City Council
| primeminister =
| term_start = 2 May 2019
| term_end =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|6|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Ambarnath]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| death_date =
| party = [[Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan|Constitutional Democratic]]
| alma_mater = {{plainlist|
*[[Savitribai Phule Pune University]]
*[[Indian Institute of Management Calcutta]]}}
}}

'''Yogendra Puranik''' ({{lang-ja|プラニクヨゲンドラ}}, {{lang-mr|पुराणिक योगेंद्र}}; born 3 June 1977), commonly referred to as '''Yogi''', is an Indian-born Japanese politician and the first person of Indian origin to win an election in [[Japan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-on-the-move/indian-origin-politicians-around-the-world-918148.html|title=Indian-origin politicians around the world|last=Sudeep|first=Theres|date=21 November 2020|work=[[Deccan Herald]]|accessdate=27 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2020/02/06/our-lives/yogendra-yogi-puranik-indian-japan-politics/ | title=Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik: The first Indian voice in Tokyo politics | publisher=[[Japan Times]] | date=6 February 2020 | accessdate=19 August 2021 | author=Megha Wadhwa}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0007309698 | title=Indian-born politician drives for unity in diversity of Tokyo ward | publisher=The Japan News | date=25 April 2021 | accessdate=19 August 2021 | author=Ayako Hirayama}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://scroll.in/article/999284/in-this-book-meet-yogendra-puranik-aka-yogi-japans-first-politician-of-indian-origin | title=In this book, meet Yogendra Puranik aka Yogi, Japan's first politician of Indian origin | publisher=Scroll | date=6 July 2021 | accessdate=19 August 2021 | author=Pallavi Aiyar}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/the-rare-indian-face-in-japans-political-space/article27697714.ece | title=The rare Indian face in Japan's political space | work=The Hindu | date=8 June 2019 | accessdate=19 August 2021| last1=Aiyar | first1=Pallavi }}</ref> He was elected to the Tokyo's [[Edogawa, Tokyo|Edogawa]] City assembly as City Councillor in April 2019. He was supported by the [[Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/indian-origin-yogi-wins-ward-assembly-elections-japan-1508335-2019-04-23 | title=41-year-old man becomes first Indian to win an election in Japan |work=India Today | date=23 April 2019 | access-date=24 April 2019}}<br>- {{cite web | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/world/indian-origin-yogi-yogendra-puranik-wins-ward-assembly-elections-in-japan-5690710/ | title=Indian-origin 'Yogi' wins ward assembly elections in Japan |work=The Indian Express | date=23 April 2019 | access-date=24 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/op-ed/300419/so-much-to-be-done-in-india-says-a-desi-neta-from-japan.html | title=So much to be done in India, says a desi neta from Japan | publisher=Deccan Chronicle | date=30 April 2019 | accessdate=19 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Tea-Leaves/Foreign-born-candidate-shows-Tokyo-all-politics-are-local | title=Foreign-born candidate shows Tokyo, all politics are local | publisher=Nikkei Asia | date=29 May 2019 | accessdate=19 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-on-the-move/indian-origin-politicians-around-the-world-918148.html | title=Indian-origin politicians around the world | publisher=Deccan Herald | date=21 November 2020 | accessdate=19 August 2021 | author=Theres Sudeep}}</ref>

== Childhood ==
Yogi was born in [[Ambarnath]], in the suburbs of [[Mumbai]], India, on 3 June 1977 to Rekha Puranik, his mother, who worked as a stitch and teacher and Sharad Puranik, his father, who worked as a machinist in the Ordnance Factory in [[Ambarnath]]. Puranik has an elder sister named Nilima Potnis and younger brother named Rahul Puranik.

== Education ==
Yogi started his schooling from [[Kendriya Vidyalaya]] (Central School) Ambarnath. In the middle of 11th grade, his father was transferred to [[Pune]], following which he joined Kendriya Vidyalaya Southern Command and later passed the high school from Kendriya Vidyalaya Dehu Road in 1994. He then joined the [[Sir Parashurambhau College]] under the [[Savitribai Phule Pune University|Pune University]] to study an undergraduate program in science (Bachelor of Science) with specializations in physics and mathematics. He also joined the Foreign Languages Department ([[Ranade Institute]]) of Pune University to study Japanese and German and Datamatics Corporation, a private information technology school, to study computer science.

Yogi graduated with his diploma in information technology in May 1996 and advanced diploma in Japanese language in May 1997.{{cn|date=August 2021}} Yogi was awarded the Study Tour award, a scholarship from [[Japan Foundation|The Japan Foundation]] under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to visit Japan for a month in September 1997. This was when Yogi began being attracted towards Japan. He was again awarded a scholarship by The Japan Foundation to study in Japan for one academic year in September 1999.

Yogi later left studying science and completed his bachelors and master's degrees in international and labor economics from Pune University. He finished an International Business Management program from [[Indian Institute of Management Calcutta|Indian Institute of Management]], Calcutta, with a focus on strategies for doing global business. Yogi attended [[Skema Business School]] (previously known as [[ESC Lille]]) in France to study strategic project management including qualitative and quantitative analysis methods and research techniques.

== Work ==
In April 1996, Yogi started working for a small scale IT company in Pune called Sutra Systems. He was also associated with Geometric Software solutions, Mahindra British Telecom and Keihin FIE Private Limited before moving to Japan in 2001. In Japan, Yogi worked for the information technology companies [[Infosys|Infosys Technologies Limited]], [[Fujifilm]] and Polaris Software Lab Limited before moving to [[Mizuho Bank]] in 2010 as vice president of operations strategy. Since then, Yogi has been in the banking field. His last position was at Rakuten Bank as vice director of corporate planning where he managed departments for business planning, budget planning, business automation, fraud detection and legal affairs, before taking the position of city councilor.

== Family ==
Yogi married Zhang Zhe, a professor of Japanese Language, in August 2001. They had a baby boy, Chinmay Puranik, on 7 June 2002. Due to geographical preferences, Puranik and Zhe decided to divorce in April 2007. Chinmay stays with Puranik in Japan. He has studied in the Indian international school, Japanese public school and a school in [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], United Kingdom.

== Social life ==
Yogi started Indian Home Food Restaurant Reka in Tokyo in February 2013 as a social venture to spread the real Indian home food in Japan

Yogi opened his second restaurant at the end of 2016 and with this he established the Edogawa India Culture Center where he hosts around 50 live concerts every year mainly around Indian classical music and dances and collaborates with music and art from other countries. This center also hosts weekly classes for Yoga, music, Indian languages, Indian culture, Indian mythology and so on.

== Political career ==
In 2016, when there was a political move in the [[Edogawa-ku|Edogawa]] district of [[Tokyo]] to create a Little India, Yogi sensed that the model was not socially healthy and sustainable, and did not take into consideration the day-to-day needs of the society or community. The objectives of the project were influenced by a handful of people. As a social volunteer, Puranik tried to convince the local administration to take public opinion however it did not work.

Yogi announced his candidacy in the regional elections that took place in April 2019 in Japan. Puranik won with a large margin. Yogi is a member of the [[Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan|Constitutional Democratic Party]], the largest opposition party in Japan.

Yogi unsuccessfully ran to represent Edogawa in the [[Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly]] in the [[2021 Tokyo prefectural election|2021 election]], finishing in 7th place out of 8 candidates with 9.3% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhk.or.jp/senkyo/database/togisen/2021/49605/|title=江戸川区開票速報・結果 {{!}} 都議選2021 -東京都議会議員選挙-|work=NHK|date=2021-07-05|access-date=2021-07-05|language=ja}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{ill|List of naturalized Japanese politicians|lt=|ja|帰化日本人の政治家一覧}}

== Externak Link ==
[https://rekacorp.com Reka Corp], a company managed by Yogendra Puranik

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yogendra, Puranik}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Japanese people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of Japan]]
[[Category:1977 births]]

Yogendra Puranik - Revision history

->Keith D: /* Political career */ Fix ISO date format