Application Guidelines for FY2024

Application Deadline
12th (Fri) Jan 2024, 11:59pm

1.

Overview of this Scholarship Program
The Toshizo Watanabe International Scholarship Program is a scholarship fundedby Pathways Japan, a general public interest incorporated foundation, based on adonation from Mr. Toshizo Watanabe, to support young people from refugee
backgrounds to pursue higher education. The purpose of this scholarship is to support
young people who have gone through the difficult experience of becoming refugees,
but who continue to study and strive to contribute to society in the future. Among them,the scholarship is especially targeted to those with limited time visa status who havetraditionally had limited opportunities to apply for scholarships in Japan, and we
support them to live and work in Japanese society in the future with self-dignity throughfurther education and employment.
2.

Eligibility for Application
A person who meets all of the following criteria

A person with a refugee background who does not have a status of permanent
residence and is living in Japan with a status of residence such as Student,
Designated Activities, Engineering/Humanities/International Service, or
accompanied family.
(A person who falls into one of the following categories)
・Persons who have been recognized as refugees or granted international
protection by a foreign government or the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) outside of Japan.
・Those admitted to Japan through the Complementary Pathways Program.
・Those who are unable to return to their home country due to conflict or political
upheaval.

Completion of 12 years of formal education in a foreign country or Japan, or
expected to complete such education by March of the year of admission, or those
who are recognized by the scholarship selection committee as having equivalentor better qualifications.

Those who have difficulty in attending higher education in Japan due to economicor other reasons.

Applicants must have the basic Japanese language and other language skills
necessary for employment after graduation from higher education.


Undergraduate applicants whose academic language medium is inJapanese: EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission forInternational Students) or JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)
required subjects for university exams.



Undergraduate applicants whose academic language medium is inEnglish: Tests proving the required English proficiency and JLPT N5-4
level or higher (or equivalent proof)

Graduate applicants: Test score to prove the required English proficiency
and JLPT N5-4 level or higher (or equivalent proof)Those who have been accepted to a university or graduate school in Japan,
whether before or after being selected as a scholarship recipient for thisscholarship.

3.

Number of applicantsAbout 6-8 students (depending on the number of students who receive
scholarships in combination with other scholarships, etc.)

4.

Scholarship Benefits(1)

Tuition and Fees

1,700,000 yen or less per year (Other expenses required by the educational
institution, such as facility management and maintenance fees, laboratory training
fees, etc., will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the financial
situation).

*The amount of the scholarship will be determined after taking into consideration theapplicant's financial situation at the time of application and receipt of other
scholarships, etc.
(2)

Subsidy for living expenses in accordance with regulations



1-2 years of undergraduate study: up to 70,000 yen per month

Undergraduate 3 years: up to 60,000 yen/month

Undergraduate 4 years and graduate: up to 50,000 yen per month*The amount of the scholarship will be determined after taking into consideration theapplicant's financial situation at the time of application and receipt of otherscholarships, etc.
*Not required to repay the scholarship as it is a benefit-type scholarship.
*Combination with other scholarships: Combination is possible. Efforts to obtain otherscholarships, etc. will be encouraged and evaluated.
(3)
Benefit period
Up to 4 years from FY2024 (April 2024 - March 2025) (within graduation
requirement years for graduate students)(4)Benefit method
Depending on the determined benefit amount, the Foundation will pay the fullamount of the enrollment and tuition fees directly to the educational institution.

Depending on the determined benefit amount, monthly living expense assistancewill be provided in accordance with the regulations.

5.

Application requirements

Possess the academic and language skills necessary for study and research at theuniversity, and expect to improve them thereafter and graduate within four years(or the prescribed number of years for graduate school).

Have a strong will to study and a clear field of interest.

Have ambitious and achievable goals for the future and a spirit of contribution andservice to societyThose who are in a more vulnerable situation in terms of finances, status ofresidence, family situation, etc. (Based on the above, applicants for undergraduate
study will be given priority over those for graduate study.)

6.

How to apply
Please fill in the required information on the "The Toshizo Watanabe International

Scholarship" web form and upload and submit the following documents 1) to 8).
(1) through (7) are mandatory documents to be submitted, and (8) is optional.
1) Application Form *Required
Download the prescribed application form and submit the completed data by uploading
it via the dedicated "The Toshizo Watanabe International Scholarship" web form.

2)

Documents proving or explaining that you have a refugee background(certificate of recognition of refugee status or international protection outside Japan,
documents proving that you are eligible for Complementary Pathways Programsupport, statement issued by a NGO, a letter explaining the difficulty of returning to thehome country etc.) *Required3)

Final Academic Diploma/certificate (high school certificate, university

undergraduate or graduate diploma or prospective certificate, or proof of equivalentstatus) *English or Japanese translation should be attached for documents in otherlanguages. *Required4)

Final Academic transcript (high school, university undergraduate, university

graduate or proof of equivalent status) *English or Japanese translation should beattached for documents in other languages *Required5) ① Documents proving Japanese language proficiency (If necessary for theuniversity examination, scores of EJU or JLPT required subjects, If taking examination
in English, proof of current proficiency such as JLPT or other scores, study record at aJapanese language institute or explanatory documents from a Japanese languageteacher)（JLPT N5-4 level or higher, or equivalent) *Required② Documents proving English language proficiency (If required for the university
examination, TOEFL, IELTS, or other scores. If not required for examination, submit ascore that proves your current proficiency when available.) ★Required for applicants
who will apply for undergraduate/graduate course in English medium. ★
6)Documents explaining that the household is in a difficult financial situation(tax certificate slip, pay slip, income statement etc.) *Required*.
7)

1-2 letters of recommendation (from one to two persons other than a family

member or relative, such as a teacher or principal at a university or high school, alanguage teacher, a guarantor, or someone involved in volunteer activities.)*Required*.
8)

Other documents for reference (social contribution activities, awards, proof oflanguage proficiency, IT or other skills, past research achievements, art, music orsports prominent achievements, etc.) (optional)*If you are selected as a scholarship recipient, you will be asked to submit the original
application documents at a later stage.
*As a rule, application materials will not be returned.
*The personal information will be properly managed and disposed of in accordancewith the Foundation's personal information protection regulations.
7.

Recruitment schedule

Application period: 13th Nov 2023 (Mon) – 12th Jan 2024(Fri) 11:59pm (deadline)

Interview screening: 4th Feb 2024 (only for those who pass the documentscreening)

Notification of final decision: Around 7th Feb 2024

Scholarship benefits begin in April 2024 or later. (Entrance in Sep or Oct 2024 isalso acceptable.)*In case the tuition payment to the university needs to be made before the above
mentioned date, please contact us for further consultation.
8.

Selection

Final decisions will be made after an initial screening of documents by theFoundation's selection committee and a second round of interviews following thedocument screening.

The results of the first round of document screening and information about theinterview screening for those who pass the first round will be sent to the e-mailaddress registered at the time of application.

Notification of the final decision will be sent to the e-mail address registered at thetime of application.

The interview panel is expected to be held in person on 4th February 2024. The
Foundation will cover the interview expenses (transportation, etc.).

9.

Disqualification and Suspension Requirements for Scholarship Eligibility

If you are not accepted to any of the universities you have been notified that you
will be applying to, even if you have been notified that you have been selected.

When falsehoods are found in documents submitted to the Foundation

When a student transfers to another university, is expelled, or is suspended fromuniversity (However, unavoidable circumstances such as illness or accident will betaken into consideration.)

When it is judged that the applicant is unlikely to succeed in his/her academic
performanceWhen the reason for receiving the scholarship has ceased to exist

Other cases in which the Foundation deems the applicant to be inappropriate as ascholarship recipient.

When a person fails to fulfill his or her obligations as stipulated by the Foundation

10. Scholars’ obligations
Notify the Foundation promptly when a scholar fails in academic requirement of ayear, withdraws from university, takes a long leave of absence, or is suspended
from university; when there is a change in name, address, contact information, orother important information; or when there is a reason to withdraw from status orscholarship eligibility.

Provide a phone number and e-mail address where one can be reached.

When applying for the monthly living assistance allowance, provide a brief reporton the current status of your studies and living situation.

Submit a copy of each semester's academic record and report on recent
developments in your studies and life after meeting with a monitoring staff.

Notify the name of the fund and the amount of any scholarships or other cofunding from other institutions. Also, promptly notify any special student programs,
such as tuition waivers, and any new scholarships or other benefits received.

Participate in the program’s training and social events.

To cooperate in activities to raise awareness of higher education and admission ofpeople with refugee backgrounds into Japan, at least on one lecture, interview, ormedia coverage. (The scope of personal information to be disclosed will bedetermined by the scholar.)