Japanese Awards Scholarships To 148 Indonesians

Jakarta, Sept 20 (Antara) - The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has awarded scholarships to 148 Indonesians through five programmes. The Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yoshinori Katori said here on Friday that this year MEXT had given scholarships to 148 Indonesian students through a research students programme, which has 91 recipients. The Japanese studies programme has 30 recipients, a teacher training studies programme will have 14 recipients, a young leaders programme four recipients and an Internationalization-based preparation programme nine recipients. "Congratulations to all the recipients for getting enrolled following a very tight selection. I encourage you to study hard, but don`t forget to enjoy Japan," Katori stated. The 148 students will head for Japan at the end of September to learn Japanese before their first semester begins. Ambassador Katori also pointed out that the exchange students program was very important for enhancing bilateral relations between Japan and Indonesia, in addition to boosting the country`s education capacity. "I think the key to enhancing communications between communities in Japan and Indonesia lies in meeting with and engaging each other more often, such as through student exchange programs. As such, I think exchanges among the youth are very important," he said. "Hence, I also encourage you to make friends with as many Japanese as you can. You can increase your Japanese-language abilities, as well bridge the gap in understanding between Japan and Indonesia`s friendly ties," Katori noted.