Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka  – Mr. Mizukoshi Hideaki yesterday (08) held the reception to send-off JDS (the Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resources Development Scholarship) scholarship fellows and extended his heartfelt congratulations on new 17 JDS fellows, who are heading to Japan as scholarship students this month.

In a media release the Japanese embassy in Sri Lanka states :

The JDS program is one of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) programs to promote high-quality growth of a country through human resource development. One of its main purposes is to accept young promising administrative officers, who are expected to be in leadership positions in the future, as international students in Japanese graduate schools so that they can utilize the expertise they gain in Japan in formulating and implementing social and economic policies after they return to their home country.

JDS fellows are also expected to solidify foundations for further bilateral relations with Japan and succeed as a bridge between both countries by utilizing their human network developed through academic and social activities while in Japan.

Under the project, 17 public sector officials will be sent to pursue a 2 – 3 year Master or PhD degree from this year. Areas of their degrees cover Public Policy, Macroeconomics, Public Finance and Investment Management, Industry Development Policy and Investment Promotion, and Urban and Regional Development.

Since its inception in 2009, JDS project has supported 205 public sector officials in Sri Lanka. The project will contribute not only to enhancing individual capacities but also to improving institutional capacity of the public sector in Sri Lanka, which helps Sri Lanka to overcome various difficulties related to the current economic hardships and to achieve prosperity further in the future.

The reception was held as a pre-alumni reunion as well, with the enthusiastic participation of 22 returned JDS fellows who are willing to establish the JDS alumni association. Stressing the essentiality for relevant ministries to cooperate so that they could overcome current complex and difficult problems, Ambassador Mizukoshi expressed his sincere beliefs that arranging alumni gatherings by JDS fellows themselves and sharing the knowledge gained in Japan would be highly conducive to accelerating Sri Lanka’s development.

In line with the IMF program, various endeavors such as reforms on revenue and expenditure, state-owned enterprises as well as the eradication of corruption are being carried out. Also, on the occasion of our Foreign Minister Hayashi’s courtesy call to Prime Minister Gunawardena, the signing ceremony of Exchange of Notes for next year’s JDS program was conducted in the esteemed presence of the Prime Minister and our Foreign Minister at the Temple Trees on 29th July, which highlights the importance of the JDS program. In this regard, the year 2023 would mark a milestone in kicking off the rebirth of Sri Lankan economy along with the JDS program.