THE JAPAN government will provide 314 million yen or approximately P129 million to award scholarship grants for Filipino civil servants.

The exchange of notes for the 21st Batch of the Human Resource Development Scholarship by the Japanese Grant Aid (JDS) Project was signed by Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Friday.

“Through this program, the JDS fellows will have the opportunity to enhance their talent and become experts of their respective fields,” the Japanese Embassy in Manila said.

“Since 2002, the Philippines has produced 419 JDS fellows under this project. Successful aspirants will soon become part of the growing pool of talent Filipino leaders,” it added.

The JDS program aims to bring about 20 young government officials to pursue graduate studies (Master’s degree) at premier universities in Japan, starting Academic Year 2023-24.

It is a project financed by the Japanese government as part of its Official Development Assistance to the country.

Moreover, the program also aims to support government officials in achieving their full potential and assist in the socio-economic advancement of the country.