PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The West Java Provincial Government welcomes the Nihongo Partners Wave 21 2024 program, which is a form of cooperation between the Indonesian Government and Japan in the field of education.

In this program, native Japanese speakers are placed in schools in Indonesia, one of which is West Java, to become partners for Japanese language teachers and secondary school students for the development of Japanese language and culture.

Acting Head of the West Java National Unity and Politics Agency Sapta Yulianto Dasuki hopes that the presence of these Japanese language teacher volunteers can provide positive benefits for schools in Indonesia and West Java, especially in terms of Japanese language and culture.

"It is hoped that it can provide positive benefits in terms of knowledge transfer, introducing and preserving culture," said Sapta at the Release of Native Speaker Program Nihongo Partners Wave 21 in 2024 who were placed in the West Java Province, at the Grand Arjuna Hotel, Bandung City, Monday (2/9/2024).

The event also held a discussion with various speakers, namely representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs with the theme "The Role of Regional Governments in Monitoring the Presence and Activities of Foreigners in the Region".

Other speakers, representatives from the West Java Regional Police with the theme "Securing the Presence and Activities of Foreigners in the Region" and representatives from the West Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights with the theme "The Role of the PORA Team at the Provincial and Regency/City Levels in Supervising Foreigners in the Region".

Sapta also said that this was the first time the Japanese language teacher volunteer farewell event had been held.

"In the future, to implement the supervision and monitoring mechanism for foreigners in West Java, God willing, activities like this will be held routinely," said Sapta.

"Bakesbangpol West Java and Bakesbangpol Regency/City have a role as facilitators. Therefore, if there are things that need to be coordinated by the recipient school and the Japan Foundation, they can coordinate with the local Bakesbangpol Regency/City," he added.

At the end of his speech, Sapta emphasized that the West Java Provincial Government appreciates the Japan Foundation which has contributed to building education in West Java through the Nihongo Partners program.

"We really appreciate and support the program. This program is expected to be sustainable and develop with more recipient schools not only at the high school level," said Sapta.

Head of the Regional Alertness Division of Bakesbangpol West Java, Tulus Tahi Hapistaran Sibuea, added that the Nihongo Partners program was intended to support educational development in West Java.

"The Nihongo Partners program in West Java has 12 people and is spread across 12 high schools/vocational schools for seven months, starting from August 2024 to March 2025," said Tulus.

Assistant Director of the Japan Foundation Hirota Yoshihisa expressed his appreciation to the West Java Provincial Government for accepting and implementing the Nihongo Partners program.

"This program has been running since 2014, so it has been 10 years. As many as 3,000 people have been spread across schools and this number is the largest compared to other countries in Asia," said Hirota Yoshihisa.

"This program is something new for participants. It is hoped that it will be useful and help spread the Japanese language and culture in West Java," he added.

Meanwhile, Yashuda, one of the participants, said that during the Nihongo Partners program, he would introduce culture, in the form of songs, dances, and Japanese cuisine to students where he was placed.

"After returning to Japan, I will also introduce West Java culture to the people of Japan," he said.

The principal of State Vocational School 7, Bandung City, Rini Ambarwati, said that her party was happy to receive the Nihongo Partners program from the Japan Foundation.

"This is an opportunity to enrich knowledge and improve skills in Japanese language and culture," concluded Rini.