Masaki Yasushi, the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, has shown interest in the free nutritious meal program for students proposed by the elected president for 2024-2029, Prabowo Subianto. He highlighted the significance of the initiative and mentioned that the Japanese government intends to invite the Indonesian government to discuss the program in September 2024.
Japan has had a long-standing free school lunch program for over a century, initially established to improve children’s nutrition post-war. This program has been beneficial for low-income families in providing nutritious meals. Yasushi expressed Japan’s willingness to support Indonesia by sharing its experiences with implementing free school lunches, particularly emphasizing the importance of educating children about food and nutrition.
The collaboration between Indonesia and Japan on this program is expected to be fruitful, with Japan offering insights on nutrition education in schools. Prabowo and his vice-president, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, have announced the free nutritious meal program as one of their flagship initiatives, set to commence in 2025 and be rolled out in phases.
