The Arunachal Pradesh Government decides to introduce the Japanese language as a skill enhancement subject for youth in the state.
CM Pema Khandu on Twitter:
Chief Minister Pema Khandu took this initiative to its official Twitter handle where it wrote, “A great opportunity today to have attended a virtual meeting with His Excellency, the Ambassador of Japan Satoshi Suzuki along with Hon’ble Governor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra Ji (Retd). Emphasized on the Japanese language to be imparted as a new skill for youths of Arunachal.”
On January 18, State Governor Brig (Dr) B.D. Mishra (Retd) and Chief Minister Pema Khandu discussed various matters with the Japanese Ambassador through virtual mode. Highlighting the tourism potential specially the religious tourism potentiality, the Governor suggested mutual cooperation on the tourism sector.
The Government suggested that exploring for collaboration in hydropower and non-conventional energy sources will be beneficial and also said, “The two countries can share the scientific know-how to mitigate natural calamities, as Arunachal Pradesh lies in the high risk seismic zone.”
Japanese language course in North Eastern Hills University (NEHU):
Earlier in 2020, the North Eastern Hills University (NEHU) Vice Chancellor SK Srivastava said the university will soon start a Japanese language course, which will benefit the people, in view of the bond shared by India and Japan which will also cement ties between the two countries.
Dean of School of Economics, Management, B Panda said that in course of time, the university will upgrade the certificate course to diploma course. He informed that the faculty members will be funded by JICA, a Japanese-based company, while NEHU will provide accommodation to the teachers.
A total of 22 students of NEHU were selected for a visit to Japan under the IRIS programme.
What is IRIS?
IRIS is a programme initiated by the Japan government to invite talented young people from the Northeastern part of India. During their tour of Japan, the students will get to understand Japanese culture, science and technology of Japan in the fields of environment and disaster prevention.
Srivastava said the programme marks the coming together of two great nations as there is good chemistry between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
While expressing gratitude to Japan for the IRIS programme, Modi said, “Japan looks at the North East in a big way, be it in terms of investment or other engagement. Academically, there is a focus on youth and higher education, which is a great boon to the students”.
India and Japan:
India and Japan are very close strategic partners; Japanese diplomats, development administrators, Buddhist pilgrims and language teachers are contributing to the economic development of India’s North East and growth of people-to-people linkages between India and Japan. The two countries are committed to concretising the concept of a ‘Free, Open, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific’ by deepening convergence between the Modi government’s Act East Policy and the Abe government’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’.
Japanese assistance is vital for the acceleration of specified aspects of development of the landlocked North Eastern states and infrastructural connectivity within the region and with its two immediate neighbours, Bangladesh and Myanmar. This, in turn, will help strengthen India’s linkages with ASEAN: Delhi and Tokyo both acknowledge the 10-state grouping’s centrality in the Indo-Pacific.
According to Japanese sources, two notable features about the NorthEast are: firstly, the percentage of people below the poverty line in the region is 28.5% which is considerably higher than the all-India figure of 21.9%. Secondly, total road surface in the region is 33.7% as compared to the all-India figure of 69%. This indicates the vast scope for improvement in the sectors considered as priority areas by the Japanese government.
