Scholarships for students seeking higher education in Japan

It is good news for students aspiring to pursue higher education in Japan, with the Japanese government offering scholarships for Indian students traveling to the island country.
As part of the initiative that seeks to increase the number of foreign students in Japanese educational institutes, the country's government is offering scholarships of Rs 59 lakhs and Rs 42 lakhs for undergraduate and post-graduate students respectively.
"The main idea is to attract maximum students to the Japanese higher education institutes to foster mutual ties between countries and give them the best circumstances to conduct their research," Daisuke Kodama, First Secretary, JIC from Embassy of Japan told PTI.

Under the programme, students will be exempted from paying the tuition fees, besides being given "an attractive amount" as monthly allowance.
"In case of PhD students, the monthly allowance is Rs 82,000 and a total benefit for 3 years is equivalent to Rs 42 lakhs," Kodama said.
He said currently 1,015 Indian students were pursuing higher education in different universities in Japan, and that the Japanese government hoped to "double the number of international students by 2020."

The selection procedure for scholarships for undergraduate students will include a written examination followed by an interview. Examination subjects include Japanese as foreign language, English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology, depending on the field of study.

For admission to post-graduate courses, applicants have to qualify a preliminary selection conducted on the basis of their research proposals, following which a written examination in Japanese as foreign language and English, and an interview will be held.
"Post-graduate courses in Japan are research oriented and hence aspirants are expected to conduct their own research even in master's course. That's why identifying research topics and research proposals is so important," Kodama said.
Apart from free tuition fees and monthly stipend, students will also get placement assistance.
"One of the most significant characteristics of higher education in Japan is the concept of social implementation. Laboratory work shares a strong relationship with industrial outlook. Hence, there are numerous job prospects in Japan especially in research and academics," he said.