What Honjo International Scholarship Foundation – Graduate Scholarship in Japan actually covers.
The Honjo International Scholarship Foundation offers one of the most generous private graduate scholarships available to international students pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in Japan. Founded by the late Tetsuma Honjo with a vision of fostering cross-cultural understanding and academic excellence, the foundation supports talented young researchers from any country in the world — including all nations across Africa — who demonstrate exceptional academic potential and a desire to serve their home communities after completing advanced studies in Japan.
Recipients of the Honjo scholarship receive a monthly stipend that varies by programme length: ¥230,000 per month for one to two-year programmes, ¥210,000 per month for three-year programmes, and ¥180,000 per month for programmes of four years or longer. These amounts are among the highest in the private scholarship sector in Japan, reflecting the foundation's deep commitment to enabling scholars to focus fully on research without financial burden. The scholarship also provides a settling-in allowance upon arrival and covers mandatory national health insurance contributions.
Applications are open to foreign students who are already enrolled in, or have received an offer of admission to, a Japanese graduate school. Applicants do not need to currently reside in Japan — international applications from Africa and other regions are accepted, provided the applicant holds a confirmed admission letter from a recognised Japanese university. The foundation values academic excellence across all disciplines, from natural sciences and engineering to social sciences, humanities, and arts.
The selection process includes a rigorous document review followed by an interview examination held in Japan or via videoconference. Successful candidates are expected to return to their home countries after completing their studies, contributing to local development through the knowledge and networks gained during their time in Japan.
Who can apply.
Open to masters, phd applicants seeking to study in Japan. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before November 1, 2026 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Every scholarship on Scholar Africa goes through six checks (link, contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review). Honjo International Scholarship Foundation – Graduate Scholarship in Japan currently scores 0.0/10.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.