To date, some 92,000 students from approximately 160 countries and regions around the world have studied in Japan under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program established in 1954.
(1)Scholarship awards will be tenable for five years from April 2017 to March 2022, including one-year preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects due to be provided upon arrival in Japan. For scholarship grantees majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or a six-year course in pharmacy, the term of scholarship will be seven years until March 2024.
(2)The preparatory education requirement can be waived for grantees who have sufficient knowledge of the Japanese language to pursue their study or who wish to enter a university which demands no Japanese language ability (via direct placement). In this case, the awards will be tenable for four years (or for six years for those majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or in a six-year course in pharmacy). If a grantee graduates earlier or withdraws from his/her undergraduate course for early college entrance, the awards will be tenable until his/her graduation or withdrawal.
(3)The term of scholarship in case of direct placement will start from the time of entrance to the university, taking into account the circumstances of the accepting university.
(4)In regard to six-year majors in Pharmacy, the grantees must undergo the common examinations (CBT= Computer-based Testing, OSCE= Objective Structured Clinical Examination) implemented prior to practical training. In cases when it is impossible for the grantees to fulfill the set standards necessary for practical training, the scholarship may be cancelled.
(5)If a grantee graduates from an undergraduate course and is admitted to a master's course at a graduate school during the term of his/her scholarship, he/she may have the term extended upon successful examination by MEXT provided that he/she has outstanding academic achievement that meets certain criteria. The scholarship will be discontinued if approval is not granted.
How to apply? Please contact a Japanese embassy in your country. You can check their web site too (just google for a Japanese Embassy's site in your country). They usually accept applications every year April-May.