JICE hosted the networking event for the JDS (Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship by Japanese Grant Aid) Fellows from February 14 to 18, 2022. This event, which marked the sixth time this year, aimed to foster long-lasting relationships between the JDS Fellows and the Japanese Government officials through opinion exchange and mutual learning.

A total of 278 JDS Fellows got together and learned topics relevant to their specialized research field in the series of online sessions, 10 in total, carried out by the following government organizations: National Personnel Authority, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Environment, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.

The sessions covered Japan’s policy not only on domestic issues such as aging society, but also global challenges including climate change. The JDS Fellows gained some new perspectives comparing situations in their home countries. For instance, one of the JDS Fellows commented, “It was very interesting and I thought that some policies introduced in the lecture should be implemented in our country in the future.”

The participants exchanged their opinions and information during the Q&A and open discussion session to deepen their mutual understanding.

The following are the voices of the participants.

-“Although I participated as a lecturer, I have learned abundant hints through the discussion with the JDS Fellows. I believe these events would be a catalyst of new international cooperation projects.”- (by a Japanese Government official from Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)

-“It was a great opportunity to exchange opinions with the Japanese government officials online”- (by a JDS Fellow from Cambodia)

-“I have extended my knowledge through asking questions to the government official working on the same specific field”- (by a Fellow from Myanmar)

We, JICE, will be further committing to provide opportunities for JDS Fellows to exchange opinions on global challenges and network with Japanese government officials.

TAKEUCHI Shunpei
International Student Programs Division
International Student Programs Department I