Cypriots who wish to study in Japan can now apply for a postgraduate research scholarship offered by the Japanese education ministry.

The Embassy of Japan has announced that the Japanese ministry of education (MEXT) will provide scholarships for 2024 to Cypriot nationals who wish to continue their studies in Japanese universities. The scholarship concerns research students for a Master’s or PhD degree, who are born on or after April 2, 1989.

The duration of the scholarship is two years with the possibility of extension, if necessary for the completion of the studies. Students with no Japanese language proficiency will be required to attend Japanese language courses in Japan for a semester, the expenses for which are also covered by the scholarship.

The scholarship includes the travel to and from Japan, tuition, student visa and a monthly stipend which also covers accommodation. The monthly stipend is set at 143,000 YEN (approximately €1,000 as of 26/04/2023) for research students.

Candidates will be chosen in June, initially based on the evaluation of the submitted application documents and afterwards based on the candidate’s performance in the written examinations of English and Japanese language, as well as the personal interview.

Japanese language proficiency is not a requirement – interested applicants can apply even if they have no proficiency.

The written exams and personal interview will be conducted on June 21 for applicants who pass the application documents screening.

In case of rejection of the application, the Embassy of Japan said it is not obligated to justify its decision. After the publication of the results, there is no procedure of re-examination and objections are not accepted.

Applications must be submitted by June 7. For more information, visit the Embassy’s website at https://www.cy.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/mext_scholarship_2024.html