High enthusiasm among young Indonesians to experience firsthand the ever- popular Japanese pop culture has not been met with adequate capacity-building opportunities for them to pursue higher education or land a job in the developed country.

Richard Susilo, the founder of Japanese language course Pandan College, said the stumbling blocks came from both the private sector and the government.

'€œIt is now high time to invest in more Japanese language schools in Indonesia to accommodate students who wish to acquire language certifications as required by universities and companies in Japan,'€ Richard said during the Japan Matsuri education fair in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Saturday.

'€œBut as most of them [potential investors] are of Chinese-descent, they prefer to open Mandarin language courses instead.'€

Richard said the lack of investment in education, including language courses, also made the business opportunity unappealing for foreign investors.

He added that Education Ministry Decree No. 66/2009, which stipulates that only native speakers with undergraduate literature degrees and teacher certifications can teach language in Indonesia, hindered prospects.

'€œNot many Japanese-certified teachers will find it interesting to teach the language here unless they already reside in Indonesia and [decide to begin] moonlighting as a teacher. Moreover, not many language courses can afford a teacher with a university degree and [teacher] certification.

'€œWith the high demand for language courses, I would suggest that the government relax the regulations a bit because it closes the opportunity for Indonesians who are eager to learn a new language from having access to qualified language training,'€ said Richard, who hires only certified teachers with work visas at the college.

Japan has been one of the biggest foreign direct investors in Indonesia'€™s economy, particularly in the food and beverages sectors.

The presence of Japanese companies has also raised demands for workers with at least basic Japanese skills.

And with outbound tourism expected to rise in the next five years, hoteliers and taxi companies have begun seeking Japanese tutors for language preparation.

At the education fair, there were many language programs on offer, both in Indonesia and Japan.

Among the featured exhibitors were Unitas, Japan International Language Academy (JILA) and Shukutoku.

Widya Dharma Husada, a 22-year-old who recently graduated from the STIKES nursing college said she had been a fan of Japanese culture since she was young.

'€œI have to master Japanese language before applying for the scholarships. I want to get my masters degree in community health and work there,'€ she said.

Esti Supriyatin, who studies community health at Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, shared the same dream.

'€œI know it'€™s harder to get the scholarships compared with those to Singapore or Australia because they only pick persons with good Japanese language skills. But that'€™s a challenge I'€™m willing to take.'€

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