One-hundred twenty-four Filipinos will leave for Japan this year under two government-backed exchange and scholarship programs, the Japanese Embassy said.

Ambassador Endo Kazuya hosted a send-off reception recently for 104 participants in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, and 20 other fellows under the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship.

The JET batch includes 102 assistant language teachers and two coordinators for international relations who will be assigned to different prefectures across Japan.

The 20 JDS fellows will pursue graduate studies at Japanese universities before returning to the Philippines, where many are expected to resume work in government and public service.

Endo said the participants could help strengthen ties between the two countries as the Philippines and Japan mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.

The reception also brought together former participants from both programs, including Carlos Buraga and Cyra Krizna Jureidini, who shared their experiences under JET; and Filbert Ian Aromin Tan and Ismail Guiamel, who spoke about the JDS fellowship.

The JET Program places foreign participants in schools and local government offices across Japan, while the JDS program supports graduate studies for government personnel from partner countries.

Since 1987, more than 80,000 people from over 80 countries have taken part, including nearly 6,000 now working across Japan.