Shrunali Ranade, 32, was born and raised in Pune, India, and has resided in Greater Tokyo since 2015. She works as a mechanical engineer at a machinery manufacturing company and also represents Japan on the women’s national cricket team.

1. Can you tell us a bit about your early life in India and what first drew you to Japan? My connection to Japan began during my school years, when I had the chance to represent India at the Youth Environmental Conference in Kobe in 2008, a four-day summit that left a lasting impression on me. Later, while studying mechanical engineering in Pune, a Japanese company came to recruit on campus. My experience in Japan helped me stand out and ultimately led to an offer. I joined as one of the first Indian women engineers at the company, shaping both my career path and my decision to move here permanently.