The Nippon Foundation Nikkei Scholarship "Dream Come True Project" Application Guideline (2024)

1.Purpose

This project is aimed at providing an opportunity to study in Japan for young Japanese descendants having definite plans and dreams of promoting understanding between the country of resident and Japan and contributing to the development of the country of resident and local communities.

2.Qualification Requirements

(1)Applicants must be Japanese descents (regardless of nationality, educational background or previous visits to Japan).
(2)Applicants must be 18 to 35 years old in principle.
(3)Applicants must be recommended by overseas Japanese descent organizations.
(4)Applicants must have a dream of acquiring technical knowledge and, after returning home, playing active roles in the countries of resident and local communities.
(5)Applicants should have a dream of working as a bridge for their countries of resident and Japan by making most of overseas study experiences.
(6)Applicants must be willing to participate in overseas students’ volunteer activities and social action programs.

3.Country

Mainly in Central and South America area
(Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, etc)

4.Number of Students to be accepted

About 10 students

5.Recruiting Period

From May 20 to July 17, 2024

6.Selection

(1)Primary selection:
Documentary examination in the last 10 days of August
(2)Secondary selection:
Online or in-person interview between the middle 10 days of October and the first 10 days of November
(3)Final decision of acceptance/rejection:
The last 10 days of November
 *Timing of selection and final decision of acceptance is subject to change.

7.Notice of Acceptance/Rejection

Applicants will be notified of the results of primary selection and secondary selection in writing. No inquiries regarding applicant’s acceptance or rejection will be accepted.

8.Educational Institutions

Any educational institution is acceptable. Applicants, however, must select a school and negotiate with it on enrollment formalities. If applicants want to study at Japanese-language schools, they must be those designated by us.

(1)Applicants who have been already admitted to educational institutions Applicants who have been already admitted to schools in Japan (universities and graduate schools) after April 1, 2025 must submit an informal letter of acceptance. An applicant without an informal letter of acceptance at the time of application is required to indicate the name of the desired educational institution in the Overseas Study Plan. In either case, the successful applicant must obtain a letter of acceptance (or a certificate showing he/she is scheduled to be admitted) by the end of March 2025.

(2)Applicants without desired educational institutions They must go through the enrollment formalities at a Japanese-language school after April 1, 2025. They are required to negotiate with desired schools on enrollment formalities at their own risk or must pass the entrance examination. In all cases, applicants must decide on their desired school by the end of March 2026. If they fail to decide on the school by that time, scholarship payment will be suspended.

9.Details of Scholarship Payment to Students

(1)Round-trip airfare
(2)Any expense to be paid to the school including examination fee, admission charge, tuition, etc.
(3)Living expense (140,000 yen/month), housing expense (max. 50,000 yen/month), key money (max. 200,000 yen), student commutation ticket, medical insurance premium (fraternal insurance), etc.
(4)Expenses for group workshops and participation fees for academic conferences

10.Period of Overseas Study

Maximum 5 years. However, if the student spends an extra year at the school or the secretariat finds the student against the spirit of this scholarship system, the scholarship payment will be suspended.

11.Japanese Language Proficiency

It is desirable that the applicant is proficient enough in Japanese that he/she has no trouble listening to lectures at the school or leading daily life in Japan. If applicants wish to improve their Japanese, they will be able to take Japanese lessons for 6 months to one year.

12.Application Methods and Documents

Applicants must send the following documents to our office by July 17.

Applicants must send the following documents to our office by July 17. If sending by e-mail, please be sure to send them to the Nikkei Scholarship address (nikkei-scholar@jadesas.or.jp). We are not responsible for the result of your sending to another address.

(1)Personal History (Form 1)
(2)Photo(4.5cm×3.5cm)
(3)Composition (Form 2)
(4)Overseas Study Plan (Form 3)
(5)Informal Letter of Acceptance (Form 4) (Optional.For applicants who were already admitted to the schools in Japan)
(6) Medical History (Form 5)
(7)Letter of Recommendation by overseas Japanese descent organizations (Form 6)
(8)Confirmation of Intent (Form7)
(9)Graduation certificate or student registration certificate (translation required)

*The above-noted documents prepared in local language are acceptable.
*No need to fill in “Register No.” on Form1-A, Personal History.
*Essay (Form 2) must not exceed the space specified in length.
*When sending the informal letter of acceptance, Medical History, Letter of Recommendation by Japanese descent organizations, and Confirmation of Intent, they must be original documents. No photocopy is accepted.
*Where the final school does not issue a graduation certificate, a copy of graduation diploma notarized by a notary public must be submitted.
*Submitted documents will not be returned under any circumstances.
*Please note that “entry form”is not application document.You cannot be accepted unless all application documents is submitted by postal mail.
*Applicants should consult our office in advance if there are issues such as not able to obtain a copy of graduation certificate or send an original letter of recommendation

*Applicants should fill in the “entry form” and press “send” button,then you will receive email that contain the link to application form download page.
*Please note that “entry form”is not application document.You cannot be accepted unless all application documents is submitted by postal mail.
*There is a problem with the URL of the application form for those who registered via Gmail. If you do not find the URL in your spam box, please contact us(nikkei-scholar@jadesas.or.jp).

13.Information&Documents destination

2-3-1, Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 231-0001, Japan
JICA Yokohama 2F
“Kaigai Nikkeijin Kyokai / Nikkei Scholarship”
TEL :045-211-1788 FAX : 045-211-1781
Information