RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is strengthening its long-term partnership with Japan through growing interest in Japanese language education, creating wider opportunities for education, careers, and cultural exchange while reinforcing people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Japanese Consul General in Denpasar, Bali, Miyakawa Katsutoshi said Indonesia is one of the key drivers of Indonesia-Japan cultural exchanges, supported by the strong enthusiasm of young Indonesians to study Japanese.

"Indonesia is currently the country with the second-largest number of Japanese language learners in the world," Miyakawa said during a Japanese language education outreach event in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He noted that interest among young people in Bali remains high, driven by Japanese popular culture, career prospects, and opportunities for further study. The number of Indonesian students currently studying in Japan has reached around 7,000 and continues to grow.

Miyakawa added that more than 150 senior high schools and vocational schools across Bali now offer Japanese as an elective foreign language.

Language education has also created career opportunities, particularly through internship programs. Around 2,000 Indonesian participants departed for Japan under internship schemes in November 2025.

He emphasized that Japanese language education in Bali serves not only to develop language skills but also as a bridge for strengthening bilateral relations.

Japan Foundation Director General Inami Kazumi echoed the view, saying Japanese language education at senior high schools, including Islamic senior high schools, goes beyond academics by fostering stronger people-to-people relations.

"We see the long-term impact as strengthening friendship between our two nations. Learning a foreign language is not only about communication but also about understanding its culture," Inami said.

According to a 2024 Japan Foundation survey, Indonesia has around 700,000 Japanese language learners, making it the second-largest community globally after China.

The Japan Foundation has implemented its Nihongo Partners program in cooperation with Indonesian Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education since 2014 and the Ministry of Religious Affairs since 2023.

Since the program began, around 1,000 native Japanese speakers have been dispatched to Indonesia. "In Bali, we regularly send seven to eight partners, while nearly 120 are deployed across Indonesia," Inami added.

The outreach event was attended by teachers and principals representing 65 schools in Bali, including institutions that already offer Japanese language programs and those planning to introduce them.

Principal of State Senior High School 8 Denpasar, I Wayan Sucipta, said the school has hosted one native Japanese language assistant every six months since 2015.

"Through this approach, our students become more enthusiastic about learning the Japanese language and culture. They also gain additional foreign language skills that broaden their horizons and improve future employment opportunities," he said. ***