Welcome!

Source: Borneo Bulletin, Feb 9 2020

The Japanese Language and Culture Festival 2020 was officially launched at the Atrium of Times Square Shopping Centre yesterday.

Guest of honour, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin and spouse Datin Hajah Norhayana Janis binti Abdullah Lim officiated the ceremony.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was also officiated by Ambassador of Japan to Brunei Darussalam Eiji Yamamoto and spouse Yoshiko Yamamoto, as well as General Manager of Times Square Shopping Centre Amal Majidah binti Haji Suhaili.

The Ambassador of Japan said the event has been held over the past 10 years and this time features the Yamanaka Traditional Band from Japan.

He also highlighted that the introduction of culture is for mutual bonding where the cultures interact and the Japanese culture has developed this way for hundreds of years.

Enlivening the launch was a Japanese music showcase titled MUSASHI: Music From the East by the Yamanaka Traditional Band. It is made up of four musicians from Japan – Yamanaka Nobuto (Tsugaru-shamisen), Katano Satoshi (Shinobue), Taka and Tsukamoto Junya (Wadaiko), who are award-winning musicians specialising in traditional Japanese music, performing locally in Japan and internationally.

The guest of honour toured the booths participated by local businesses offering Japanese products and services, such as Otaku Corner, Komugi Japanese Bakery, MC Biotech Sdn Bhd and Standard Chartered Bank.

The festival continues today from 11am-9pm, with activities that include Japanese tea ceremony at 4pm-5pm at the lobby, Japanese cooking demonstration at 1pm and Study in Japan sharing session at 4pm.

The Yamanaka Traditional Band will also be showcasing again at 2.15pm and 8pm today.

The two-day festival is organised by the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam and Japan Foundation, and co-organised by Times Square Shopping Centre. The event is supported by the Japanese Association Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Association of Japan Alumni (BAJA), BERSATU (SSEAYP Alumni), BJFA-UBD Chapter, BJFA-UTB Chapter, JENESYS Alumni and Institute of Brunei Technical Education’s Continuing Education and Training.

Source: Borneo Bulletin, Jan 18 2020

The Brunei Association of Japan Alumni (BAJA) held its annual general meeting and the election of new committee members at the Mutiara Ballroom of the Radisson Hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan yesterday.

Deputy Chief of Mission/Counsellor at the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam Abe Hiroshi was the guest of honour.

Several former members were re-elected including President Dr Hajah Najmina Fairuz binti Haji Abdul Latif who will continue in the post for the fiscal year 2020-2021.

Other re-elected committee members for 2020-2021 are Mohd Sabry bin Haji Mohd Yusof as Vice President, Mohd Raymie bin Haji Othman as Secretary, Dayangku Habibah binti Pengiran Haji Hidup as Treasurer and Munirah binti Haji Mashod as Public Relations Officer.

Hajah Najmina Fairuz said BAJA members’ participation in activities boosted the cultural exchange between Brunei and Japan.

“I am grateful for the enthusiasm of the members who contribute for this organisation. The majority of activities in 2019 focussed on our international partners, the Asia Japan Alumni International (ASJA), to whom we owe so much for our exposure, experience building as well as cultural and educational exchanges.”

More importantly, she added, “ASJA has continued to expose the younger generation of Bruneians to the scholarships offered by the Government of Japan. Two ASJA scholars had commenced their studies in Japan in April and September last year.”

Students Muhammad Ashyiq Naszri bin Masri and Aimi Asilah binti Haji Tajuddin were selected through a screening process for which BAJA collaborated with the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam.

She said several associations in Japan also coordinate with BAJA to offer short-term programmes for students including the National Institution for Youth Education Junior Exchange Programme (NIYE).

BAJA worked with various schools to send students to junior exchange programmes such as the Toshiba Youth Camp Asia (TYCA) which was held in Tokyo last December.

Source: Borneo Bulletin, May 25 2019

THE Japanese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam is now accepting applications for the Japanese Government Scholarship Programme for 2020 from Bruneian students keen on studying in Japan.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study in Japan under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Programme every year.

This scholarship aims to foster human resources who, through study in Japan, will become bridges of friendship between Brunei and Japan, and who will contribute to the development of both countries and the world.

There are four types of scholarships offered under the programme: (1) research students; (2) undergraduate students; (3) college of technology students; and (4) specialised training college students.

The composition of each scholarship is different, but all of them cover tuition, living expenses and transportation fees between Brunei and Japan.

This is a valuable opportunity for Bruneians to study in Japan, allowing them to broaden their horizons and increase future job prospects. Under the programme, students will not only enhance their academic qualifications, but also learn about the Japanese people, their culture and language.

Interested students are required to submit their application documents to the Embassy not later than June 10, 2019. Further information and application documents can be obtained from the embassy of Japan website at http://www.bn.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/education.html.