Honjo International Scholarship Foundation (HISF) accepts applications from international students who plan to study at a graduate school in Japanese universities for a master’s degree or Ph.D.  Applicants can submit their applications as long as the school’s capacity is filled. Students from all nationalities are encouraged to apply to any field of study. You can directly apply for this scholarship through the foundation without needing to be pre-selected by the university.

Key Details

• Application Period: September 2 – October 31, 2025
• Document screening:  January 31, 2026
• Interview Date: February 2026
• Final result:  March 31, 2026
• Location: Japan
• Nationalities: all
• Research fields: all
• Number of scholarships: 10 Seats
• Evaluation method: Documents screening and interview

Benefits of the Honjo Foundation Scholarships

The scholarships are granted every month throughout the period a degree takes to be completed, so it depends on the periods as follows:

• ¥230,000 per month for a 1 ~ to 2-year degree
• ¥210,000 per month for a three-year degree
• ¥180,000 per month for 4 ~ 5 years of degree

Eligibility Criteria

To be deemed eligible for this scholarship, international students must meet all the requirements listed below:

• The student should not possess Japanese citizenship
• The student must enroll by April 2026 or apply for a course starting in April 2025 at a graduate school in Japan.
• Those enrolling in a professional graduate school are not eligible to apply.
  However, a student who can submit a research plan is eligible to apply.
• The duration of enrollment until graduation should be more than 12 months.
• Candidates applying for the Ph.D. program should begin their courses by the age of 35; for the master’s program, they should be 30 (no exceptions).
• The student should be strongly interested in serving in their home country as part of their future career plan.
• They should have a deep understanding of international friendship
• They should have goodwill and attend the events organized by the Foundation
• They should participate in the network as alumni members.
• Able to carry on a basic conversation in Japanese because the interviews will be in Japanese (No exception).

Check More Opportunities:

United World College Scholarship for International Baccalaureate (IB)

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Required Documents

Applicants should prepare the following documents:

Digital Files (Upload Required)

• Face Photo (.jpg or .gif, max 500 kB)
• Research Plan Video (required, up to 2 minutes, .mp4 or .mov, max 1 GB, Japanese/English, face visible)
• Self-Promotion Video (optional, up to 30 seconds, .mp4 or .mov, max 1 GB, Japanese/English, applicant speaking directly)

PDF Documents (Upload Required)

• Academic Transcript(s)
  • Undergraduate transcript (required; include kōsen transcript if transferred).
  • Graduate transcript (optional).
• Research Proposal (required; designated template in Japanese, or Japanese + English if needed).
  • Research content & schedule.
  • Contribution to the home country.
  • Achievements (research, academic, social).
• Recommendation Letter (from current/previous supervisor; must include signature/seal; can be sent directly by recommender to Foundation).
• Admission/Acceptance Documents (admission letter, certificate of enrollment, or acceptance letter; photocopies acceptable; submit as soon as available).

Submission email for letters: is info@hisf.or.jp

How to Apply?

You can apply through the web application system linked below for the 2025 Honjo Foundation Scholarships. Fill out the required information on the form and upload the documents in PDF format.

Apply Now

After you apply, you will receive an application number. Please save this number so that you can check your result using it.

If you want to read more about this opportunity, please visit the Hanjo International Scholarship Foundation Website.

Check More Scholarship:

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