DILI,18 december 2023 (TATOLI) – Over 1400 Timorese youths had benefited from the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths program in Japan during this time, ambassador of Japan in Timor-Leste, Kimura Tetsuya revealed.
“JENESYS’s program emphasizes the importance of people-to-people exchange to reinforce bilateral relations, including through a comprehensive people-to-people exchange project of the Japan Foundation, which would benefit especially the next generation leaders of Japan and Timor-Leste. Besides that, there is also a comparative study that is done by Timorese youths and students to share their experiences with each other and can be implemented in Timor-Leste,” Ambassador of Japan Kimura Tetsuya told reporters at the Japan Embassy in Praia dos Coqueiros, Dili, on monday.
JENESYS program, according to Kimura, will be continued in the future; therefore, Japan expected that 100,000 Timorese youth will visit Japan in the coming 10 years to ensure the people-to-people relationship between Japan and Timor-Leste.
Ambassador Kimura confirmed that both leaders stressed the importance of people-to- people exchange to reinforce bilateral cooperation.
“Prime Minister Gusmão commended Japan’s contribution in this field, including that approximately 1,400 youths had been invited to Japan and approximately 100 Japanese youths had been invited to Timor-Leste through the JENEYS program, which Timor-Leste joined on the occasion of Prime Minister Gusmão’s visit to Japan in 2009,” he said.
In that meeting, both leaders stressed the importance of strengthening Japanese language courses and Japan study in Timor-Leste, including through the “Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chair’’ at the National University of Timor Loro Sa’e (UNTL) and other programs by the Japan Foundation.
They highlighted the importance of promoting exchange in culture and sport, building on the recently launched fruitful exchange programs both in Japan and Timor-Leste.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
