Source: Borneo Bulletin, Mar 24 2019

THREE Bruneians are bound for Japan as research students after successfully obtaining scholarships from the Japanese Government.

Aimi Asilah binti Haji Tajuddin will be pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering Research at Tsukuba University.

The other two students will be taking their Master’s Degrees – Muhammad Adam bin Ismail in Organic Geochemistry at Hokkaido University and Muhammad Ashyiq Naszri bin Masri in International Relations at Waseda University.

Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Motohiko Kato hosted a send off ceremony for the three students at the Japanese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam on Friday.

The ambassador said, “I hope that they will have a very fruitful time and be a bridge of friendship between Japan and Brunei Darussalam.

“I also hope that they will encourage more Bruneians to study in Japan, especially with the recent commencement of Royal Brunei Airlines’ direct flights to Japan.”

He also told the recipients, “Japanese companies are not only recruiting young Japanese people, but also foreigners. I hope that you can work in Japanese companies, which can be a great advantage for your future.”

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study graduate-level courses at Japanese universities as research students under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Programme.

The scholarship programme aims to foster individuals who will become bridges of friendship between the grantee’s country and Japan, as well as contributing to the development of both countries and the rest of the world.

In an interview, Aimi Asilah said, “I chose to study in Japan because it’s related to my research on hydrogen energy.”

Muhammad Adam said, “It wasn’t easy to find the course that I will be taking, but then the opportunity presented itself, through the scholarship from the Japanese Government.”

Muhammad Ashyiq Naszri told the Sunday Bulletin, “I chose Japan because it ranks very high in my course on international relations.”

The three also conveyed their gratitude to the Japanese Government for offering the scholarship with the cooperation of Brunei Government. The Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam will be accepting applications for the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Programme 2020 around the end of April.