The Heiwa Nakajima Foundation, a private foundation in Tokyo, pays a monthly stipend for one academic year to international students already enrolled at a university in Japan. It is a grant, not a loan.
Students cannot apply directly. The foundation sends the call to universities in late August, and each university nominates its candidates in September–October for the next academic year.
Benefits & funding
- 2027 cycle: ¥170,000 a month for undergraduates, ¥200,000 for graduate students (Aichi University of Education notice). The 2026 rates were ¥120,000 and ¥150,000; the Study in Japan database still lists ¥150,000.
- Paid April 2027 to March 2028; autumn entrants for their enrolled months in that period.
- No repayment.
- No other scholarship or grant may be held or applied for alongside it.
Eligibility
- Any nationality except Japanese; enrolled at a university in Japan when applying, and in a regular degree course at the same university in April of the award year. Non-degree students qualify if they will be in a regular course during the award (Kyoto University notice).
- Residence status 「留学」 (Student).
- Undergraduate or graduate level, any field.
- Not past the minimum study period of the current course; a repeated year or leave in that course rules a student out.
- Past scholars of the foundation cannot apply.
- Each university nominates at most one undergraduate and one graduate student.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
USA · Canada · Mexico · Guatemala · Costa Rica · Nicaragua · Honduras · El Salvador · Panama · Belize · Cuba · Haiti
+ 217 more
Jamaica · Bahamas · Barbados · Dominican Republic · Dominica · Grenada · Antigua and Barbuda · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · Anguilla · Aruba · Bermuda · Bonaire · Saba · Sint Eustatius · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Curaçao · Montserrat · Puerto Rico · Guadeloupe · Sint Maarten · Turks and Caicos Islands · US Virgin Islands · Greenland · Brazil · Argentina · Chile · Colombia · Peru · Ecuador · Paraguay · Bolivia · Uruguay · Venezuela · Guyana · Suriname · Falkland Islands · UK · France · Germany · Italy · Spain · Portugal · Netherlands · Belgium · Luxembourg · Switzerland · Austria · Sweden · Norway · Denmark · Finland · Iceland · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Ireland · Poland · Czechia · Hungary · Romania · Serbia · Greece · Bulgaria · Estonia · Latvia · Lithuania · Ukraine · Russia · Albania · Andorra · Belarus · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Croatia · Cyprus · Kosovo · Liechtenstein · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · North Macedonia · San Marino · Slovakia · Slovenia · Vatican City · China · Hong Kong · Macau · Taiwan · South Korea · North Korea · Singapore · Malaysia · Thailand · Vietnam · Indonesia · Philippines · India · Nepal · Brunei · Pakistan · Bangladesh · UAE · Saudi Arabia · Israel · Türkiye · Mongolia · Cambodia · Laos · Myanmar · Timor-Leste · Sri Lanka · Bhutan · Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Georgia · Iran · Iraq · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Lebanon · Maldives · Oman · Palestine · Qatar · Syria · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan · Uzbekistan · Yemen · South Africa · Kenya · Nigeria · Egypt · Morocco · Ghana · Uganda · Cameroon · Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d'Ivoire · DR Congo · Republic of the Congo · Djibouti · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Zambia · Zimbabwe · Western Sahara · Saint Helena · Australia · New Zealand · Fiji · Papua New Guinea · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Vanuatu · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Nauru · Palau · Tuvalu · American Samoa · Cook Islands · French Polynesia · Guam · New Caledonia · Northern Mariana Islands · Pitcairn Islands · Niue · Tokelau · Wallis and Futuna
Residence required
Japan
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Master Enrolled · PhD Enrolled
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Application process
- 1Ask your university’s scholarship or international student office; the foundation takes no individual applications and sends no forms to individuals.
- 2Meet the internal deadline, which is earlier than the foundation’s (9 October 2026 at Aichi University of Education).
- 3Submit the set documents: forms and personal statement handwritten in Japanese, a supervisor’s recommendation and transcripts.
- 4The university nominates; the foundation selects on documents, with no interview.
Program timeline
call sent to universities
Late August 2026
Aichi University of Education internal deadline
Oct 9, 2026
foundation’s window closes
End of October 2026
award starts
2027-04
award ends
2028-03