Five Japanese-language children's books serve as cultural diplomacy tool for UI
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The University of Indonesia (UI) has introduced five children’s books by national authors translated into Japanese as a cultural diplomacy tool at an international festival in Chigasaki City, Japan.
In an official statement from the Child, Youth, and Subculture Research Group, Department of Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences at UI, received in Jakarta on Saturday, the Japanese-language editions were produced through a strategic partnership with Litara as the publishing partner in the Indonesia-Japan Children Festival programme.
The five Indonesian children’s books translated by Andry Setiawan under the programme include ‘Where Is Your Sister’s Songket?’ by Dian Kristiani, ‘Golden Mantle’ by N. Feby Indirani, ‘Playground in the Cabinet’ by Andina Dwifatma, ‘Fish Powder Croquette’ by Yuli Rahmawati, and ‘Tobalo Brown Sugar’ by Hanna Fransisca.
‘Through creative, educational, and engaging approaches, the initiative aims to introduce Japanese children to Indonesia’s cultural richness, language, and values while fostering cross-cultural understanding from a young age,’ stated the activity report, supervised by UI’s Directorate of Community Service and Social Innovation (DPIS).
This children’s literature translation initiative forms a key component of UI’s international community service programme, funded by the Outbound World Class University (WCU) grant to strengthen the university’s internationalisation efforts.
Through these books, children in Japan were invited to explore moral values and the diversity of Nusantara via interactive storytelling sessions held at Chigasaki City Library on Friday, 29 May local time.
In addition to listening to translated stories, Japanese children also had the opportunity to hear postcards written by students from three primary schools in Jakarta and Depok—SDN 29 Johar Baru Jakarta, SDN 05 Rawabarat Jakarta, and SD Semut-Semut The Natural School Cimanggis—which began the programme in mid-May 2026.
Through this cross-border children’s literature launch and reading event, UI aims to foster a positive narrative about the nation’s creative originality in Japanese public spaces while cultivating mutual empathy and trust between nations from an early age.