ABSTRACT
Prior to World War II, South Asian Studies in Japan were confined almost exclusively to Indology, and in particular to the study of Buddhist philosophy and Buddhism. It was only on the eve of World War II that South Asian Studies were introduced into the social sciences. Most of the work was undertaken outside the academic world in semi-governmental organizations such as the Ta Institute, the research section of Manchuria Railway Co. and the Indian Research Unit. During the 1950s the first groups of Japanese students began to study at Indian universities, and they subsequently became the pioneers of South Asian Studies within the social sciences in Japan. As far as geography is concerned, it was the Department of Geography at Hitotsubashi University which took the initiative in South Asian Studies. In the past most research was concerned with economic history, including the analysis of contemporary political and economic processes, but today many other fields of research are being explored.
