Japan's top universities are opening again their doors to Filipinos under the Philippine-JICA socioeconomic project.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, will accept more Filipino public servants into premier Japanese universities for master's degrees through its 313-million yen scholarship grant and agreement with the National Economic and Development Authority.

JICA said the agreement is the continuation of Japan's Project for Human Resources Development Scholarship, or JDS Project. JICA and NEDA signed the agreement for the project on 27 October.

On its 22nd anniversary, JICA said the JDS Project will accept next year 20 Filipino leaders from various government agencies to take a master's degree course for two years.

"It is an excellent platform for Filipino public servants to experience Japan while studying Japan's unique development history as a precious reference, which fosters the Philippines' own self-help efforts towards sustainable socioeconomic success," said Takema Sakamoto, JICA chief representative for the Philippines.

The JDS Project allows qualified Filipino government leaders to enrich their knowledge in any of these areas: finance and monetary administration, trade and industry investment and promotion, and infrastructure improvement and development.

The other master's degree courses include public administration, water resource management, environmental management, and disaster risk reduction and management.

JICA said it will open the application period for the JDS Project soon in preparation for the Japanese universities' admissions in the fall season, or between September and November.

Filipino applicants will get a chance to study at JICA's partner universities, which include Hitotsubashi University, the International University of Japan, Kobe University, and Meiji University.

The other options are Nagoya University, Rikkyo University, the University of Tsukuba and Yokohama National University.

"Each year, we reach a milestone as we remain committed to the professional development of JDS Fellows. They serve as catalysts driving innovation and positive change in our public institutions as they contribute to the collective national effort of achieving our country's development aspirations," NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

There are over 400 Filipino government leaders who have benefited from the JDS Project, which is part of Japan's official development assistance carried out through JICA. JICA is the world's largest bilateral aid agency, with nearly 100 offices worldwide and operations amounting to 1.5 billion yen in 2021.