Monbukagakusho: MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan) offers scholarship to Malaysian students who wish to study at Japanese universities as research students under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship Program for the academic year 2020.

Applicants must be Malaysian citizens and meet the qualifications below:

Field of Study

Humanities and Social Sciences: Literature, History, Aesthetics, Laws, Politics, Economics, Commerce, Pedagogy, Psychology, Sociology, Music, Fine Arts, Business Administration & etc.

Natural Sciences: Pure science, Engineering (Biomedical Eng, Civil Eng, Environmental Eng & etc.), Agriculture, Fisheries, Pharmacology, Medicine, Dentistry, Home Economics & etc.

• Students majoring in medicine or dentistry shall not be allowed to carry out their clinical studies by conducting medical examinations or performing operations, unless they are permitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare under the provisions of the Japanese laws concerned.
• Fields of study must be one of those available at Japanese universities. Practical training given by factories or companies is excluded.

Tenure of Scholarship

The tenure of scholarship is for two years from April 2020 to March 2022, or one and a half years from October 2020 to March 2022. Applicants can choose either course. (The tenure shall include a six-month intensive course of the Japanese Language, to be given to those whose knowledge of the language is insufficient to pursue their studies).

For those who have been permitted to enter in a regular course of graduate schools (whether Master's or Doctoral) and have excellent academic records, their durations could be extended upon the judgment within the budget.

Those who wish to enter master's or doctoral program of a graduate school must sit for and pass the entrance examination imposed by the university concerned after having studied at least for six months as non-degree research students.

Failure in the examination will result in reenrollment as non-degree research students within the tenure.

Qualifications

1. Age: Applicants must be Malaysian passport holders under 35 years of age as of 1st April 2020 (i.e. born on or after 2nd April 1985)
2. Academic Background: Applicant must be university or college graduate, holding a Bachelor's or Master's degree with CGPA of 3.40 out of 4.0 or results deemed equivalent. (Those who will graduate and receive Bachelor's / Master's degree from a college / university by March or September 2020 may apply using latest result). Applicants wishing to enter Master's or Doctoral program must have completed a regular course of study of sixteen (16) year's formal school education (excluding remove class), or eighteen (18) years' formal school education (excluding remove class) for medicine, dentistry, veterinary or pharmacy courses.
3. Language Proficiency: Applicant must have good command of English language AND/OR Japanese language.
4. Study Area: The study area must be in the same field as the applicant has studied (or is studying), or is working in a related field.
5. Japanese Language: Applicants must be willing to learn Japanese language and to receive university instruction in Japanese while adapting to life in Japan.
6. Others:
   • Applicant who has been awarded a Japanese Government Scholarship in the past will not be selected as a grantee unless he / she has spent at least three years research or teaching after returning to his / her home country. However, former "Japanese Studies" scholarship students may apply for admission to the Research Student program once they have completed the undergraduate program after returning to their home countries.
   • Applicant who has already enrolled in a Japanese university is not eligible to apply. Military men and military civilian employees registered on the active list are not eligible.

Allowance

Monthly allowance of 143,000 Yen (subject to change) will be given to each grantee during the tenure of scholarship. Fees for matriculation, entrance examination and tuition at universities will be exempted.

Examination & Interview

Only qualified applicants will be notified (by email and post) to sit for English AND Japanese language examinations (both are selecting criteria, but Japanese language is an optional subject) in Kuala Lumpur tentatively in June 2019 (subject to change). The embassy will short-list candidates for interview scheduled to be held in July 2019.

Application Submission

1. Number of Submission: ONLY ONE (1) application per individual, double submission will be disqualified.
2. Documents to be submitted:
   1. Required Completed application form in A4 size paper), in English or Japanese language only. Application form is available at the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia website during application period only. Application with any blank column will be disqualified, no matter what reasons are given.
   2. Required Original academic transcript (Bachelor's / Master's) in ENGLISH or JAPANESE language, OR a photocopy of the documents CERTIFIED by ISSUING AUTHORITY*. Academic transcript not certified by the issuing authority, as well as computer generated academic transcript, is not accepted. The page containing information on grading system (ex. Grade A = 81-100, Grade B = 71-80, etc) must also be included. Applicant who submits photocopy of transcript without certification by issuing authority, as well as certified transcript without information on grading system, will be disqualified. Master's student must submit both Bachelor's and Master's academic transcripts.
   3. Optional Certified degree certificate (Bachelor's / Master's) for those who have graduated.
3. Do not submit documents other than the above mentioned. UPSR/ PMR/SPM/ O-Levels/ STPM/ A-Levels/ Matriculation/ Diploma results, IC photocopies and resume/CVs are not required.
4. Closing Date and Submission of Application Form:

   	Non-Government Servants	Government Servants
   Closing Date	29 March 2019 (Fri) before 4pm
   Submit to	MEXT 2020 - Postgraduate Japan Information Service Embassy of Japan No.11, Persiaran Stonor, Off Jalan Tun Razak 50450, Kuala Lumpur	Please refer to Public Service Department (JPA) website at http://www.jpa.gov.my for details.

   Application must reach the Embassy of Japan / Public Service Department (JPA), either by hand or by post (including courier services, registered and express post) by closing date. Submission via email is not accepted. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED, NO MATTER WHAT REASONS ARE GIVEN.

5. Each envelope containing application form and required documents must indicate "MEXT SCHOLARSHIP 2020 - POSTGRADUATE" on the top left-hand corner of all envelopes.
6. Submitted forms and documents will not be returned, no matter what reasons are given.
7. No correspondence will be entered into as to why an applicant has not been short-listed.

Source: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/