Did German submarines belong in the Far East?

Would the Kriegsmarine have been better concentrating entirely on the Atlantic and Arctic?

The eastern deployment was too small to change the Atlantic greatly, yet it still forced British resources into Indian Ocean security.

The small number of German submarines sent east limited the effect of the choice in either direction. Keeping those boats in the Atlantic or Arctic would not by itself have transformed either campaign. In the Indian Ocean, even a small force compelled Britain to provide escorts and maintain anti-submarine coverage. The deployment achieved an effect disproportionate to its size while an Eastern Fleet was still needed against Japan.