Ranjan Yumnam of Manipur among 9 Indian Civil servants selected for Japan’s prestigious JDS Scholarship Program

Ranjan Yumnam, a promising young civil servant from Manipur, has been selected among nine Indian officers to pursue a two-year master’s program in Japan under the prestigious Japanese Government’s “Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship” (JDS). The initiative aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation by nurturing future policy leaders through academic and cultural exchange.
The selected officers, representing key services such as the IAS, IRS, IRSE, and ITS, were officially given a send-off at the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi. From August onwards, they will begin their graduate studies at top-tier Japanese universities, including the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Hitotsubashi University, and Kobe University.
Ranjan Yumnam, an Indian Administrative Service officer from Manipur, is among the few chosen for this competitive program, which seeks to develop capable administrators who can contribute to their country’s policy formulation and governance after returning from Japan. He has expressed a strong commitment to contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat (Developed India), aligning with the program’s goal of building human capital for national progress.
The Japanese Ambassador to India, Ono Keiichi, speaking to WION, said the program would serve as a lasting bridge between India and Japan. “They will become a bridge between Japan and India. This is good for the Indian government and the Japanese government,” he stated, while underscoring the deepening ties between the two nations.
Established in 1999 and funded by the Japanese Government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the JDS program offers young government officials a chance to acquire specialized academic knowledge abroad and return to take on leadership roles in their respective countries.
Ambassador Keiichi further noted the mutual benefits of strengthening Indo-Japan ties, especially in view of Japan’s aging population. “India needs Japan. Japan needs India. We have helped each other for many, many years,” he said, adding that Japan increasingly looks forward to Indian talent supporting its industries.
The program complements broader Indo-Japan cooperation frameworks, including the 2021 Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Specified Skilled Workers (SSW), which enables the migration of skilled Indian workers to Japan in sectors like agriculture, fisheries, and aviation. Currently, over 51,000 Indian nationals reside in Japan, making them the third-largest South Asian group in the country.