The government of Japan has provided a JPY 282 million (approximately Rs. 591 million) grant to Sri Lanka for the Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) programme.

The programme will enable 15 promising Sri Lankan public sector officials to pursue two-year Master’s degree programmes at universities in Japan from 2027, the Embassy of Japan in Colombo said in a statement.

The officials will specialise in areas including Public Policy, International Relations, International Development, Macroeconomics, Public Finance and Investment Management, Industry Development Policy and Investment Promotion.

The grant assistance was formalised today (17), with Japanese Ambassador Akio Isomata and Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Treasury and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, signing and exchanging the relevant notes in Colombo.

The JDS programme has supported 254 Sri Lankan public sector officials since its inception in 2010, the statement noted.

Japan said the programme is intended to strengthen the capabilities of individual public officials while also improving the institutional capacity of Sri Lanka’s public sector and supporting sustainable national development.

The programme is also expected to strengthen bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Japan, with returning scholars contributing to closer ties through the networks developed during their studies in Japan.