Applications are open for Japanese Government Scholarships for foreign students interested in deepening their understanding of the Japanese language, Japanese affairs and Japanese culture. This scholarship is available for university’s study course, which should be within approximately one year from October 2013. Applicants must be undergraduates at foreign (non-Japanese) universities majoring in fields related to the Japanese language or Japanese culture at the time of arriving in and leaving Japan. The deadline of the applications differs according to the country. Please contact with Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country.
Study Subject(s): The scholarship is available for majoring in fields of study Japanese language, Japanese affairs and Japanese culture.
Course Level: This scholarship is available for university’s study course, which should be within approximately one year from October 2013.
Scholarship Provider: Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho:MEXT)
Scholarship can be taken at: Japan
Eligibility:
- Nationality: Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. An applicant who has Japanese nationality at the time of application is not eligible. Selection is conducted at facilities such as the Japanese Embassy /Consulate General (hereinafter “Japanese legation”) located in the country of the applicant’s nationality. (This shall not necessarily be applied in cases where one embassy covers multiple nations.)
- Age Applicants must be born between April 2, 1983 and April 1, 1995.
- Academic Background: Applicants must be undergraduates at foreign (non-Japanese) universities majoring in fields related to the Japanese language or Japanese culture at the time of arriving in and leaving Japan.
- Japanese Language Ability: Applicants must have Japanese language ability sufficient for receiving education at a Japanese university in Japanese.
- Health: Applicants must be free from any mental or physical disabilities that would be an impediment to the pursuit of university study.
- Arrival in Japan: Applicants must definitely be able to arrive in Japan within two weeks counted from the starting day of the study course set by the university in Japan (usually October) and the period set by the accepting university . (If the applicant arrives in Japan before the period for personal reasons, by travel expenses to Japan will not be paid. And, if the applicant cannot arrive in Japan during the designated period, the applicant must resign.)
- Visa acquisition: Applicants must acquire “College Student” (ryugaku) visas before entering Japan. They then enter Japan with the “College Student” (ryugaku) residence status. Moreover, in exceptional cases when successful applicants have been residing in Japan before their acceptance under a status other than “College Student” and are to change their visa status within Japan, they must acquire a “College Student” visa by the end of the month prior to the month in which they are scheduled to start receiving the scholarship. Furthermore, please note that those who change their visa status to something other than “College Student” after arriving in Japan will also lose their qualifications to be Japanese Government Scholarship recipients from the date when they change their visa status.
- Any applicant who meets any or all of the following conditions is not eligible. If identified after the start of the scholarship period, the applicant will be required to withdraw from the scholarship.
1. Those who qualify as military personnel or military civilian employees.
2. Those who can not arrive in Japan during the period designated by the university.
3. Recipients of scholarships from other institutions (including government institutions in their own countries) will not be selected as a recipient of Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarships.
4. As of October 1, 2013, applicants who have been awarded a Japanese Government Scholarship in the past will not be selected as a recipient until at least three years have passed since the first of the month following the month of their final receipt of the previous scholarship,.
5. Those who are already enrolled at Japanese universities with “College Student” visa status, or those already enrolled or are scheduled to be enrolled in universities in Japan as non-scholarship students, calculated from the date of application in their home country to before the potential disbursement of the scholarship money.
9. Study courses implemented: The study/training is implemented only for university/study courses listed in the pamphlet “Course Guide for Japanese Studies Students,” to be mailed separately.
Scholarship Open for International Students: The students of Asia-Pacific: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam. North America: Canada and United States of America. Latin America and the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentine, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. Europe: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vatican. Middle East: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Palestinian Authority. Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabonese Republic, Gambia, Ghana, Republic of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda and Zimbabwe can apply for this scholarship.
Scholarship Description: The Japanese Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers scholarships for academic study in Japan to foreign students interested in deepening their understanding of the Japanese language, Japanese affairs and Japanese culture. The purpose of these scholarships is to promote mutual understanding and deepening friendly ties between Japan and other countries through the application of advanced knowledge regarding Japan’s language and culture.
Duration of award: The term is the period necessary to complete the accepting university’s study course, which should be within approximately one year from October 2013 (the starting month for the study course). (Extension of the term is not allowed).
What does it cover?
- Allowance: The amount of the scholarship disbursement per month has yet to be determined.
- Transportation to Japan: The recipient will be supplied, according to his/her itinerary and route as designated by MEXT, with an economy-class airplane ticket from the international airport nearest to his/her home address* to the New Tokyo International Airport or any other international airport that the appointed university usually uses. Expenses such as inland transportation from his/her home address to the international airport, airport tax, airport usage fees, special taxes on travel, or inland transportation within Japan will NOT be supplied. (*The address in the country of the recipient’s nationality stated in the application form is in principle regarded as the recipient’s “home address.”), Moreover, on airplane ticket will not be provided from a country other than that of the recipient’s nationality.
- Transportation from Japan: The recipient who returns to his/her home country within the fixed period after the expiration of his/her scholarship will be supplied, upon application, with an economy-class airplane ticket for travel from the New Tokyo International Airport or any other international airport that the appointed university usually uses to the international airport nearest to his/her home address
- Tuition and Other Fees: Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be borne by the Japanese Government.
How to Apply: The application process differs according to the country in which the Japanese embassy is located; please inquire at the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country for details. Applicants must submit the following documents to the Japanese legation by the required date. The submitted documents will not be returned. (Original) (Copy)
- Application Form (prescribed forms)?Application Form (Annex) (prescribed form)
- Photographs or digital image (size 4.5×3.5 cm, upper half of body, full-faced, hatless) taken within the past 6 months (pasted on the application forms and Annex)
- Certified academic transcript from the university the applicant is currently attending (please mark subjects related to Japanese language and Japanese culture).
- Certificate of university enrollment
- Recommendation from the head of or academic advisor at the university currently attending
- Medical certificate (prescribed form)
- If the applicant has qualifications concerning Japanese-language ability, documented proof of such qualifications.
Scholarship Application Deadline: The deadline of the applications differs according to the country. Please contact with Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country.
Note: The study/training is implemented only for university/study courses listed in the pamphlet “Course Guide for Japanese Studies Students,” to be mailed separately. (The Course Guide will also be available on the MEXT website: