Aceh tsunami and Yogyakarta earthquake victims are among 100 Indonesian high school students departing Tuesday on a 10-day study trip to Japan.

During their visit, the students will receive an overview of Japanese life, science and technology, as well as the opportunity to stay with host families.

The ministry of national education selected the students, including 10 from the 2004 tsunami-devastated province of Aceh and 10 from Yogyakarta, which was hit by a major earthquake in 2006.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Adhyaksa Dault officially sent off the students during a ceremony at the Sultan Hotel in Central Jakarta on Monday.

Counselor for ASEAN countries at the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta, Mitsuko Ito, said in addition to introducing Japanese culture, the trip would focus on building students' interest in science and the environment.

"Many high school students do not know what to do in the future. This kind of experience in Japan might let them think they want to be scientists or learn about the environment," said Ito, who heads the program.

The trip will include visits to science museums, a waste management plant, a car manufacturing plant and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Tiara Pramudita Sanaiscara Nuruikhsari, a student from Yogyakarta, said she was excited to find out why Japan is so advanced and also to meet a family in the individual homestay. She and her friends have been learning Indonesian dances and songs to introduce to their Japanese counterparts.

The trip is the first of three to be organized annually for the next five years under the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (Jenesys) program, launched by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in January 2007.

Abe pledged US$315 million for the next five years to invite 6,000 youths to Japan from ASEAN member countries, China, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

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