On February 2025, Ms. Zaheda Parveen was appointed as Secretary of the Cabinet Division of Bangladesh Secretariat. Ms. Zaheda came to Japan in 2004 as part of the third batch of JDS Bangladesh and studied at Graduate School of Law, Kyushu University. Before coming to Japan, she was working at the Ministry of Public Administration. After returning to her country, she served as Additional Secretary of the Cabinet Division and has now been appointed as Secretary of the Cabinet Division.


Ms. Zaheda is currently responsible for government reform and the implementation and monitoring of good governance. Regarding her recent promotion, she commented, “In addition to obtaining a master's degree from Kyushu University, I believe the knowledge I gained regarding Japan’s judicial system through JDS and the Japanese way of thinking I learned from Japanese people were seen as added value that set me apart from other staff members.”


During her study in Japan, she chose “Various Issues in the Administration of Criminal Justice: A Comparative Study on Japan, USA and Bangladesh” as her research topic, and deepened her expertise in the field of law, including economic law and commercial law. She also actively experienced Japanese culture through a homestay program. Ms. Zaheda also mentioned, “The way of thinking and the system of the society that I learned during my stay in Japan inspired me to think new ideas for improving my country.”


Ms. Zaheda was intrigued to study in Japan for a long term after participating in JICA’s Youth Training Program, which led her to apply for JDS. It is expected that Ms. Zaheda continues to utilize the knowledge and experience she gained through JDS to contribute to the development of Bangladesh.

H.E. Mr. Kru Veasna, Secretary General of NBC, has been substantially involved in Cambodia’s advancements in digital finance. As one of the first-batch JDS alumni, his international perspective has been a valuable asset to NBC and Cambodia’s financial innovation.


NBC successfully launched “Bakong,” Cambodia’s next-generation Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, in 2020 after long and careful research since 2016.


Developed in collaboration with Japanese start-up Soramitsu, Bakong utilizes iOS and Android mobile apps to promote financial inclusion, allowing users to access an all-in-one mobile payment and banking app. The name “Bakong” was inspired by the historic Khmer temple.


The idea for the Bakong initiative began in 2016, with NBC forming a working group led by him to explore blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for payment systems. The study evolved into the “Bakong Project” in early 2017. Soramitsu was formally selected as the developer in April 2017, with the first prototype completed later that year. The system was further refined in 2018, enabling domestic financial institutions to interconnect with the platform.


This groundwork laid the foundation for improved technological adaptation and fostered international collaboration. After years of research and partnership, NBC developed Bakong to support Cambodia’s financial goals, enhancing transaction efficiency, security, and access to financial services, all of which have contributed to a positive impact on the economy. The launch of Bakong highlights Cambodia’s commitment to digital innovation in its financial infrastructure, fostering greater inclusivity and contributing to economic development in this digital era.


The successful partnership with Soramitsu was rooted in the trust he developed through his studies and life in Japan. Reflecting on this, he remarked “While we were exploring potential global partners for Bakong, I felt a strong sense of trust toward Japan, shaped by my own study abroad experience. Immersing myself in Japanese culture laid the foundation for long-term cooperation with Japan and Soramitsu.”

At IUJ, he studied the export taxation system of palm oil, which is an important export commodity in Indonesia, then entered the University of Tokyo to earn his PhD. Currently, Dr. Amzul is Head of the Education and Culture Section at the Indonesian Embassy in Japan, where actively organizing events in cooperation with Japanese educational institutions and managing the Tokyo School of the Republic of Indonesia.​

​After returning to the province, Mr. Chandralal served for two and half years in the Provincial Council of the Southern Province and then served as Director General of the Land Reforms Commission and Deputy Election Commissioner- Galle District of the Election Commission before being appointed Secretary to the Governor of the Southern Province in October 2022. ​


In addition to his duties as Secretary to the Governor of the Southern Province, Mr. Chandralal had represented the province at international conferences in the field of tourism, agriculture, etc., and had contributed to strengthening the relationship between the Provincial Government and other countries. In January of 2025, Mr. Chandraral was appointed to the position of Secretary of the Provincial Ministry of Sports, Youth Affairs, Rural Development, Probation and Child Care, Women Affairs, Housing, further expanding his activities.​


According to Mr. Chandraral, JDS project provided not only specialized knowledge in public management and policy analysis, but also practical skills such as problem-solving abilities to the participants. After he returned to Sri Lanka, the knowledge and experience gained from JDS are actively utilized to his works such as policy making and implementation.​


Mr. Chandralal told us, “I would like to continue to encourage talented young public servants to study in Japan, and I would also like to value the relationships among those who have studied in Japan.​“


It is expected that Mr. Chandralal will further contribute to Sri Lanka’s development with the knowledge and experience he gained from his studies in Japan.​

In April 2024, JDS Alumnus of the Kyrgyz Republic, H.E. Mr. Usubaliev Maksat was appointed as Director of the Tourism Department under the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic.


H.E. Mr. Usubaliev came to Japan in 2014 as a JDS 8th batch fellow and completed his study at the Graduate School of Global Studies, Doshisha University in 2016.


He had worked for the Tourism Department under the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Kyrgyz Republic before his study in Japan. Upon his return, he served as First Deputy Director of the Civil Society Development, Religion and Ethnic Affairs Policy Department in the President Office and has now been appointed as Director of the Tourism Department under the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic.


After his appointment as Director, H.E. Mr. Usubaliev led a government delegation in the tourism sector to Japan from May 26, 2024, for about a week, to follow up on the joint statement between Japan and the Kyrgyz Republic signed in November 2023. During this visit, H.E. Mr. Usubaliev held discussions with Japanese government officials and private sector representatives of Japan on bilateral cooperation, tourism, culture, and other related matters.


H.E. Mr. Usubaliev is expected to contribute to the development of the Kyrgyz Republic as a new leader, utilizing the knowledge he gained during his study in Japan.

In October 2023, JDS Alumnus of Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Huot Synead was appointed Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. He came to Japan in 2005 as a JDS Cambodia 5th batch fellow and successfully completed his master’s degree at Graduate School of International Social Sciences, Yokohama National University in 2008.


After studying as a JDS fellow, H.E. Mr. Synead returned to the Ministry of Interior and was promoted to Deputy Director General in charge of local development, where he contributed to the formulation of local development policies and supervised the implementation of those policies in local government agencies. He was appointed Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training last October 2023. Currently, as Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, H.E. Mr. Synead is responsible for political affairs and the promotion of digitalization in the Ministry, as well as assisting the Minister.

The JDS Alumni Association of Mongolia have made a donation through the Embassy of Japan in Mongolia to support victims of the earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on January 1, 2024. The following is the interview with ​the representatives of the JDS Alumni Association ​
of Mongolia.​

JDS Network News has been featuring alumni who are active in their country. In this issue, we would like to introduce an alumnus who is active in the financial sector in Tajikistan.

In April 2023, JDS Vietnam returned fellow, H.E. Mr. Pham Quang Hieu, was inaugurated as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Japan and in the Republic of Marshall Islands. After returning from Japan, he served as Assistant to the Minister, Director general of the Personnel and Organization Department and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam before assuming his current position.

On March 2, 2023, by Decree of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan No. 93, H.E. Mr. Nazar Aziz Savzali (Graduate School of International Relations, International University of Japan, graduated in 2014) was appointed Deputy Minister, Ministry of Industry and New Technologies.​

In October 2022, Mr. Huot Synead was appointed as Secretary of State of the Ministry of Civil Service in Cambodia. As a JDS fellow, he studied at Yokohama National University, the Graduate School of International Social Sciences and earned a master’s degree in 2008. After return to Cambodia, he was promoted to Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Civil Service in 2019, and now appointed to Secretary of State.