Curry came to Japan from India, by way of Britain.
The British created “curry powder” to emulate the flavors they tasted after colonizing India, and hearty curries soon became common in the Royal Navy. Legend has it that a shipwrecked British sailor the straggled on to the Japanese coast with curry powder, but it’s more likely that the British Navy’s rations inspired the Japanese military to adopt curry and rice for their own. Soon, Kare Raisu became a beloved comfort food for all.