Press Release

The signing ceremony for the Project on Human Resource Development Scholarship between Bhutan and Japan was held today.

The Exchange of Notes for the project was signed by Ms. Pema Tshomo, Director of the Department of Bilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade and H.E. Mr. Keiichi Ono, Ambassador of Japan to Bhutan. The grant agreement for the same project was signed between Mr. Tshering Dorji, Director, Department of Macro-Fiscal and Development Finance, Ministry of Finance and Mr. Yoichiro Kimata, Chief Representative, JICA Bhutan Office.

Under the project, the Government of Japan will provide Yen 243 million (Nu. 140.88 million) to fund nine Master’s and one PhD students from Bhutan to study in Japanese universities. Human resource development has been one of the key areas of cooperation between Bhutan and Japan. Since 2019, the Government of Japan has been providing scholarships for ten Bhutanese students annually to study Master’s and PhD degrees in Japanese universities.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel, Hon’ble Foreign Minister and other senior officials from Bhutan and Japan. Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel, RCSC Chairperson Tashi Pem, Ambassador Keiichi Ono and other officials including the 22 Japanese volunteers currently serving across Bhutan, attended the event to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) programme.

During the event, Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel offered felicitations on the 60th Anniversary of JOCV programme and conveyed deep gratitude to Japanese volunteers, past and present, for their service to Bhutan.

Now known as JICA Volunteer Programme, JOCV was launched by the Government of Japan in 1965. A total of 663 Japanese volunteers have provided their service to Bhutan in diverse fields including agriculture, education, health, agriculture, IT and
disaster management, thus far. Currently, there are 23 Japanese volunteers in Bhutan.