Honjo Foundation Scholarship for International Students in Japan

Honjo Foundation offers scholarships to international students pursuing a doctorate or master’s degree at a Japanese graduate school. If applicants are accepted to a Japanese graduate school, they can submit applications from abroad. All nationalities and fields of study are welcome. Applicants may apply directly to the foundation without being pre-selected by the university.

• Organized by: Honjo International Scholarship Foundation
• Application Period:
  • Spring Scholarship: September 1– October 31, 2026
  • Fall Scholarship: April 1 – April 30
• Result of Document screening: January 31, 2027
• Interview examination in Tokyo or online: February 9, 2027
• Final Result: March 31, 2027
• Level: Master & Doctoral
• Number of scholarships:
  • Spring Scholarship: 10
  • Fall Scholarship: a few

Benefits of the scholarship:

According to the degree and the duration of the study period, the scholarship provides:

• Monthly stipend of:
  • ¥ 230,000 Yen for 1 to two years
  • ¥ 210,000 Japanese Yen for 3 years
  • ¥ 180,000 for 4 to 5 years

Who can apply?

• The student who does not have Japanese nationality
• The student must be enrolled or currently applying for an academic course beginning in April at a graduate school in Japan. Those who are already enrolled as well as those who have not yet enrolled (including those who are currently employed with jobs at the time of applying for the program) are both eligible to apply for this scholarship if they plan to enroll in April . Those planning to start graduate school in the fall intake should apply for the program, which accepts applications from April 1 to April 30. (scheduled).
• In general, students enrolled in professional graduate schools are ineligible to apply. Students who can submit a research plan, on the other hand, are eligible to apply.
• The duration of enrollment until graduation must be greater than 12 months.
• In order to be eligible, the student applying for the PhD program must begin the PhD program before the age of 35. The student who applies for the master’s program must begin the master’s program by the age of 30. (No exception).
• The student must be determined to serve in their home country as a future career.
• The student must have a strong understanding of international friendship and goodwill, as well as attend foundation-organized events and participate in the network as an alumni member.
• The student must be able to hold a normal Japanese conversation. The interviews will be held in Japanese (No exception).

Application Process:

Applicants can apply online following the steps below:

• Confirm your eligibility to apply.
• Click the “Apply Now”. Fill out the application form and attach the necessary documents.
• After you submit your documents, you will be assigned an application number and a PDF of your application form will be generated. Please save the PDF file because you will need it when the results are posted on Honjo Foundation’s website.

Apply Now

Timeline:

• Application Period: September 1,  ~ October 31
• Document Screening Result: January 31, 2027
• Interview Examination: February 2027
• Final result announcement: March 31, 2028

What documents are required?

• Academic transcript (Japanese or English )
• Research plan in Japanese (Research plan template)
• A recommendation letter from a supervisor
• Documents that prove admission, such as an admission letter, a letter of acceptance, etc.

Application Guideline

For further information about Honjo foundation Scholarship for foreign students in Japan, please visit the Honjo Foundation’s website.

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