APPLICATION GUIDELINES

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2018

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers scholarships to international
students who wish to study for a period of one year at designated Japanese universities as Japanese studies
students in order to deepen their understanding of the Japanese language, Japanese affairs and Japanese culture as
follows.

1．．QUALIFICATIONS
MEXT accepts applications from international students who meet the following requirements for study in Japan.
Its aim is to foster human resources who will become bridges of friendship between the scholarship recipient’s
country and Japan through study in Japan and who will contribute to the development of both countries and the
wider world.

(1) 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. However, persons with dual
nationality who hold Japanese nationality and whose place of residence at the time of application is outside of
Japan are eligible to apply as long as they choose the nationality of the foreign country and give up their
Japanese nationality by the date of their arrival in Japan. The first applicant screening will be conducted at the
Japanese Embassy or Consulate (hereinafter referred to “Japanese diplomatic mission”) in the country of
applicant’s nationality.

(2) Age: Applicants, in principle, must be born between April 2, 1988 and April 1, 2000. Exceptions are limited to
only those applicants deemed by MEXT to have been unable to apply within the period of age eligibility due to
the system or circumstances (loss of educational opportunities due to military service obligation, war, etc.) in
the country of nationality. Under no circumstances will exceptions be made for personal reasons (financial,
family, health, university, employment situation, etc.)

(3) Academic Background: Applicants must satisfy the following three conditions:
① Applicants must be undergraduates at foreign (non-Japanese) universities at the time of arriving in and leaving
Japan;
② Those who are majoring in fields related to the Japanese language or Japanese culture. On the other hand,
those who are majoring in fields of study other than Japanese language and culture (such as engineering,
economics, agricultural science, architecture, and art) and pursuing complementary studies in Japanese
language and culture are ineligible;
③ Those who have studied the Japanese Studies at a university for a total period of one year or more as of April 1,
2018. Those who have studied Japanese Studies at another university should submit documents (transcript of
grades at another university, etc.) which can verify that the applicant has studied Japanese Studies for a total
period of one year or more at the attended universities including current university.

(4) Japanese Language Ability: Applicants must have Japanese language ability sufficient for receiving
education at a Japanese university in Japan.

(5) Health: Applicants must submit a health certificate in the prescribed format signed by a physician that the
applicant has no physical or mental conditions hindering the applicant’s study in Japan.

(6) Arrival in Japan: Applicants must be able to arrive in Japan by the designated period (usually September or
October) between the day two weeks before the course starts and the first day of the course. If the applicant
arrives in Japan before this period for personal reasons, travel expenses to Japan will not be paid. Excluding

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 cases of unavoidable circumstances, if the applicant cannot arrive in Japan by the end of the designated period
the applicant must withdraw the offer.

(7) Visa Requirement: Applicants should, in principle, acquire “Student” visas at the Japanese diplomatic
missions located in the country of applicants’ nationality before entering Japan and enter Japan with “Student”
residence status. To satisfy this requirement, even if an applicant already has another status of residence in
Japan (“Permanent Resident,” “Long-Term Resident,” etc.), the applicant must change the visa status to
“Student” and then re-enter Japan. Please be aware that even if the applicant applies for the permanent-resident
or long-term resident status of residence after the expiration of the status as a Japanese Government
Scholarship student, the possibility exists that the application may not be approved.

(8) Applicants must return to their home country and continue to study at their home institution immediately after
the end of the scholarship period. Should the applicant not return to the home country and resume work after
the end of the scholarship period, the applicant must return the entire amount of the scholarship starting from
the first payment.

In addition, while the applicant is studying in Japan, he/she shall contribute to mutual understanding between
Japan and the home country by participating in activities at schools and communities with the aim of
contributing to the internationalization of Japan. The applicant shall make efforts to promote relations between
the home country and Japan by maintaining close relations with the university attended after graduation,
cooperating with the conducting of surveys and questionnaires after the return home, and cooperating with all
relevant projects and events conducted by Japanese diplomatic missions in the applicant’s country.

(9) Any applicant who meets any or all of the following conditions is ineligible. If identified after the start of the
scholarship period, the applicant will be required to withdraw from the scholarship;
① Those who are military personnel or military civilian employees at the time of their arrival in Japan and during
the scholarship period;
② Those who have received a Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship in the past;
③ Those who have also applied for another program for which scholarship payments will begin in fiscal 2018
through a Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship scheme or for a fiscal 2019 Embassy Recommendation
program (for Undergraduate Students, etc.);
④ Those who are already enrolled in a Japanese university with a residence status of “Student,” or who are
enrolled, or plan to enroll, in a Japanese university as a privately-financed international student from the time
of application to the MEXT scholarship program in the applicant’s country until the commencement of the
period for payment of the MEXT scholarship. However, this stipulation does not apply to those who, even
though they are currently studying, or plan to study, as a privately-financed student in Japan, verifiably
complete their studies within the end of the fiscal year and return to the home country;
⑤ Those who are planning to receive scholarship money from an organization other than MEXT (including a
government organization of the applicant’s country) on top of the scholarship money provide by MEXT after
the arrival in Japan;
⑥ Holders of dual nationality at the time of application who cannot verify that they will give up Japanese
nationality by the time of the arrival in Japan;
⑦ Those who change their residence status to that of other than “Student” after their arrival in Japan.

．PLACEMENT AND STUDY IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE AT UNIVERSITIES

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 wishes to take. Objections regarding university placement will not be accepted.
(3) The study at universities will be conducted in Japanese.
(4) Specialized Japanese language and Japanese culture study will be divided into the following two courses,
depending on the objective of the study:
(a) A course intended mainly to study about Japan and Japanese culture with supplementary study to
improve Japanese language proficiency
(b) A course intended mainly to improve Japanese language proficiency with supplementary study about
Japan and Japanese culture
The specific course contents vary with each university, but every student will take special lectures on Japan,
Japanese culture, and Japanese language and specialized practical study, as well as classes in the departments
related to his/her individual major.
(5) A recipient who has completed a specified course at the university concerned will be given a certificate.
However, the purpose of this scholarship program is not to obtain an academic degree. The recipient shall
return to the home country immediately after the completion of the course and be re-enrolled at the recipient’s
university.

．TERM OF SCHOLARSHIP
3．
The term is the period necessary to complete the admitting university’s study course, which should be within one
year from October 2018 (or the starting month of the course). Extension of the term is not permitted.

4．SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS
(1) Allowance: 117,000 yen per month. In case that the recipient researches in a designated region, 2,000 or 3,000
yen per month will be added. The monetary amount each year may be subject to change due to budgetary
reasons. The scholarship is cancelled in principle if the recipient is absent from the university for an extended
period.

The scholarship will be also cancelled in principle in the following situations. If the recipient has been
receiving the scholarship despite his/her falling under any of the following situations, the recipient will be
ordered to return the amount of scholarship that he/she received during the period wherein he/she was involved
with any of the following situations:
① The recipient is determined to have made a false statement on his/her application;
② The recipient violates any article of his/her pledge to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science
and Technology;
③ The recipient violates any Japanese laws and is sentenced to imprisonment with or without work for life or
for a period of exceeding 1 year;
④ The recipient is expelled from his/her university or receives other punishment, or is removed from
enrollment. The scholarship payment may be stopped during the period up until punishment is decided by
the university;
⑤ It has been determined that it will be impossible for the recipient to complete the training course within the
standard time period because of poor academic grades, suspension or absent from the university;
⑥ The recipient’s residence status has been changed to one other than “Student”;
⑦ The recipient has received another scholarship (excluding those specified for research expenditures).

(2) Tuition and Other Fees: Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation and tuition at universities will be
paid by MEXT.

(3) Transportation
① Transportation to Japan: In principle, MEXT stipulates the travel schedule and route, and provides an
economy-class airline ticket for the flight from the international airport closest to the recipient’s residence (in
principle, the country of nationality) to Narita International Airport or to any other international airport in

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 Japan on the normal route to the accepting university. The recipient shall bear at his/her own expense all costs
related to domestic travel from the recipient’s residence to the nearest international airport, airport taxes,
airport usage fees, special taxes necessary for travel, travel expenses within Japan (including airline transit
costs), travel insurance expenses, expenses related to accompanied or unaccompanied baggage, etc. (Although
the address in the home country stated in the application form is in principle regarded as the recipient’s “home
country residence,” if it will be changed at the time of leaving from his/her home country the changed address
will be regarded as “home country residence.”) The recipient shall also bear at his/her own expense travel from
his/her home country to a third country and travel and lodging costs incurred in the third country if the
recipient must travel to a third country before coming to Japan for visa purposes because there are no Japanese
diplomatic missions in his/her country. In this case, MEXT will provide the airline ticket from the third
country to Narita International Airport or to any other international airport in Japan on the normal route to the
accepting university. In principle, MEXT will not provide the airline ticket in cases when the recipient arrives
in Japan from a country other than the country of nationality due to personal circumstances, excepting for the
case that the recipient must travel to a third country before coming to Japan for visa purposes.
② Transportation from Japan: In principle, the recipient who returns to his/her home country within the fixed
period after the expiration of his/her scholarship will be provided, upon application, with an economy-class
airline ticket for travel from the Narita International Airport or any other international airport in Japan that the
accepting university usually uses to the international airport nearest to his/her home address, where in principle
is in the country of nationality. The recipient shall bear at his/her own expense all costs related to travel from
the recipient’s residence to the nearest international airport, airport taxes, airport usage fees, special taxes
necessary for travel, travel expenses within the country of nationality (including airline transit costs), travel
insurance expenses, expenses related to accompanied or unaccompanied baggage, etc.

Should the recipient return to his/her home country before the end of the scholarship period due to personal
circumstances, or reasons 4 (1) ① to ⑦ above, the transportation fee for the return to the home country will
not be provided. Should the recipient not return to his/her home country soon after the end of the scholarship
period to resume his/her studies, the transportation fee for the return to the home country will also not be
provided.

5．
．SELECTION
(1) The Japanese diplomatic missions will conduct a first screening of applicants by means of a review of the
submitted documents, a written examination (subject: Japanese) and an interview.
(2) Results of the first screening will be notified on a date separately designated by each Japanese diplomatic
mission.
(3) Applicants who pass the first screening will be recommended by the Japanese diplomatic missions to MEXT.
(4) MEXT will conduct a second screening of the applicants recommended by the Japanese diplomatic missions
and determine the scholarship recipients.
(5) Results of the final selection will be notified on a date separately designated by each Japanese diplomatic
mission.

6．APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applicants must submit the following documents to the Japanese diplomatic missions in the country of nationality
by the required date. The submitted documents will not be returned.
1 Original

1 Copy

No. Documents Remarks

① Application Form (a prescribed form) ○ Please use the FY 2018 form. (See Note 4.)

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 Placement Preference Application Form (a
② ○ Please use the FY 2018 form. (See Note 5.)
prescribed form)
Certified academic transcript from the
For all academic years up to the current year of
③ university the applicant is currently ○
enrollment. (See Note 6.)
attending
Document(s) verifying that the applicant Only necessary for those who cannot verify with
④ has studied the Japanese language for at ● the document ③ that they studied Japanese for a
least one year. total of at least one year at a university.
⑤ Certificate of university enrollment ○
Recommendation from the head of or
⑥ academic advisor at the university ○ Free format.
currently attending
⑦ Certificate of Health (a prescribed form) ○ Please use the FY 2018 form.
Please submit a proof document if the applicant
⑧ Proof of Japanese language ability ● has qualifications concerning Japanese-language
ability. (See Note 7.)
Note 1: Documents indicated by the white circle (○) should be submitted by all applicants. Documents indicated
by the black circle (●) are to be submitted by only relevant persons.
Note 2: All of the above documents must be written in Japanese or English, or translations in either of these
languages should be attached.
Note 3: Number all of the above documents (① through ⑧) in the right upper corner.
Note 4: A photo attached to the Application Form must have been taken within the past six months and be 4.5 x
3.5 centimeters in size. It must show the applicant full-face from the chest up and with no hat. Write name
and nationality on the back of the photo. It is acceptable to insert the image data to the data of application
form and print out the form.
Note 5: Select three preferred universities at most from among the universities listed in the “Course Guide of
Japanese Studies Program” (available from the MEXT’s website and at the Japanese diplomatic missions
in the home country) and fill out the Placement Preference Application Form with the selected university
names and course code in order of preference.
Note 6: Mark subjects related to Japanese language and Japanese culture. Those who have studied the Japanese
language and culture for a total of less than one year are not eligible to apply.
Note 7: If you print out a certificate of proof of Japanese language ability from a website, print out and submit a
page that shows your name and level/score.

7．NOTES
(1) The recipient is advised to learn, before departing for Japan, the Japanese language and to acquire some
information about Japanese weather, climate, customs, university education, and conditions in Japan, as well as
about the difference between the Japanese legal system and that of his/her home country.
(2) As the first installment of the scholarship payment will not be made from one month to one and a half months
after the recipient’s arrival in Japan, the recipient should bring at least approximately US $2,000 with him/her
to Japan to cover immediate living expenses and other necessary expenses.
(3) Recipient must enroll in National Health Insurance (NHI) upon arrival in Japan.
(4) Accommodations:
① Residence halls for international students provided by universities:
Some universities have residence halls for international students. The recipients enrolled at such
universities may reside at these residence halls under certain conditions. However, due to the limited
number of rooms, some of these facilities may be unavailable.
② Private boarding houses or apartments:
Those who are unable to find accommodation in the aforementioned facilities may live in regular
dormitories of the university or in private boarding houses/apartments.
(5) It is the recipients’ responsibility to verify whether the completion of the courses in Japan will be recognized
as credits in his/her home country. If they need further information regarding the content of the course, please

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 directly contact the university that offers the course.
(6) Information regarding the recipient (name, gender, date of birth, nationality, accepting university, graduate
school/undergraduate school, field of specialty, period of enrollment, career path after completion of course,
contact information [address, telephone number, e-mail address]) may be shared with other relevant
government organizations for the purpose of utilization for international students programs implemented by
the Japanese Government (support during period of study in Japan, follow-up survey, improvement of the
international student system).

Information regarding MEXT Scholarship recipients (excluding date of birth and contact information) may be
included in publicity materials prepared by the Japanese Government for promoting the acceptance of
international students in Japan, particularly in order to introduce former MEXT Scholarship recipients who are
playing active roles in countries around the world.

These matters are included in the Pledge stipulating rules and regulations which MEXT Scholarship recipients
must comply with and submit when they have been granted the Scholarship. Excluding exceptional
circumstances, only those concurring with these conditions will be accepted as MEXT Scholarship recipients
and will be granted the Scholarship.
(7) The English texts attached to the Application Guidelines and the Application Form are for convenience only.
The Japanese versions of the Application Guidelines and the Application Form take precedence, and any
English expressions do not change the Japanese content so if you have any questions about the content of the
written text, those should be inquired at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the applicant’s country.
(8) More detailed information on this scholarship program is available at the Japanese diplomatic missions in the
applicant’s country.
(9) In addition to the regulations stipulated in the Application Guidelines, those that are necessary to implement
the Japanese Government Scholarship are determined by the Japanese government.