Indonesia Seeks Stronger Higher Education Ties with Japan
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to deepening bilateral ties with Japan through expanded collaboration in the higher education sector.
During a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yasushi Masaki at his office in Jakarta on Thursday (March 6), Yuliarto highlighted opportunities for cooperation in joint research, university consortiums, and scholarship programs.
“We have been enjoying great cooperation with Japan. I would like to seize the opportunity for further collaboration, including through a joint research program whose results are mutually beneficial for both countries,” Yuliarto stated.
He further noted that the Indonesia-Japan educational partnership has already fostered strong ties between leading universities in both nations, including Gadjah Mada University, IPB University, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), University of Indonesia, Brawijaya University, Hiroshima University, Saga University, Tohoku University, Kagoshima University, and Kobe University.
The minister revealed that in 2024, a total of 89 Japanese nationals were enrolled in various Indonesian higher education institutions, reflecting the depth of academic exchange between the two countries.
Yuliarto also outlined President Prabowo Subianto’s key policy priorities, which include self-sufficiency in food, energy security, clean water availability, natural resource downstreaming, and digital transformation. He emphasized that innovation and technology would play crucial roles in achieving these goals and expressed hope that Indonesia’s partnership with Japan would contribute to these efforts.
Ambassador Masaki welcomed Indonesia’s enthusiasm for expanding educational collaboration with Japan and extended an invitation to Minister Yuliarto to deliver a keynote speech at an upcoming forum that will convene university rectors from both countries. This event, first held in 2010 as a joint working group, aims to strengthen academic and research partnerships between Indonesia and Japan.
