Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya welcomed 19 Japanese language teachers to the Embassy of Japan on Monday as part of an ongoing exchange program aimed at strengthening cultural ties between Japan and the Philippines.

The 13th batch of the “NIHONGO Partners” program made a courtesy visit alongside Ben Suzuki, director of the Japan Foundation, Manila, and other representatives from the foundation.

Endo thanked the teachers for their commitment to promoting the Japanese language and culture, noting that the delegation’s arrival coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The ambassador also expressed optimism that the group would serve as a vital cultural bridge to bolster people-to-people connections.

Administered by the Japan Foundation, the program dispatches Japanese nationals to secondary schools across Asia for periods ranging from six months to a year. Participants assist local teachers in language classrooms, introduce cultural traditions, and engage with host communities to learn local languages and customs.

The latest group of teachers will be deployed to secondary schools across the National Capital Region, Baguio, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Camarines Sur, Albay, Iloilo, Cebu, Bohol and Davao.