ASEAN-Japan Medical Scholarship Programme, Category B

Who can apply

Category B is open only to women students. As of March 2026 the applicable host institution for Category B is Tokyo Women's Medical University, which itself only admits women
First- or second-year undergraduate medical student at a faculty of medicine in an ASEAN member state
Selection is conducted in both English and Japanese, so a Japanese language certificate is required, not optional: either JLPT N1 or N2, or 200 points or higher in the Japanese section of the EJU
An English proficiency certificate is optional
Application requires a completed ERIA application form, stamped high school and first-year undergraduate transcripts with certified English translations where needed, an essay of under 1,000 words on the template, and one recommendation letter from a faculty member of the applicant's university
After residency training, scholars return to their home country to work at a location designated by ERIA for an obligatory term of service, seven years in principle

Both categories are now closed for this cycle

Both application routes are closed as of this check. Category A, selected entirely in English, closed 30 April 2026. Category B, selected in both English and Japanese, closed more recently, on 31 August 2026, and ERIA’s own published timeline puts the current cycle in its review and interview stage now, with selected applicants announced 21 to 25 September 2026 and enrolment not until April 2027. If you already applied to Category B, that is the schedule to watch; if you are only discovering this scholarship now, both routes for this round are shut, and no 2028-cycle dates have been published yet.

A women-only route with a language condition, for whenever it reopens

Category B carries two conditions that changed who it was actually for this round: it accepted women only, since its applicable host institution, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, does not admit men at all, and it required Japanese proficiency where Category A did not. Category A allowed applicants to skip Japanese entirely; Category B required either JLPT N1 or N2, or a score of 200 or higher in the Japanese section of the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students. If you are planning ahead for a future round, build time for that certification in well before any deadline, since it is not something you can produce quickly.

A genuinely comprehensive award, part of a multi-year ASEAN-Japan initiative

The award is genuinely comprehensive rather than a partial contribution. Tuition, admission fees, a Japanese language programme, living expenses of up to ¥120,000 a month covering dormitory fees, meals and health insurance, textbooks and return airfare are all listed as covered, for the full six years of medical study plus two years of paid clinical training afterward. ERIA’s own call is titled for the 2027 to 2035 period, describing this as a recurring multi-year initiative between ERIA and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare rather than a single one-off round, so a future cycle covering intakes beyond 2027 is expected even though its exact dates aren’t public yet. For the wider cost picture of living and studying in Japan beyond what this scholarship covers, see the guide to studying in Japan.

The service obligation is seven years

The detail that changes the value of the offer most is on the terms page, not in the headline. Once the postgraduate mandatory rotating residency training is finished, scholars must return to their home country and work at a location designated by ERIA for an obligatory term of service, which is seven years in principle. Time spent on postgraduate study in Japan does not count towards those seven years, and further study needs prior approval from both ERIA and the Japanese university. Weigh eight years of study and training plus seven years of designated service before you treat this like an unconditional scholarship.

Conditions you have to keep meeting

The scholarship is not paid regardless of how the degree goes. Scholars must be enrolled full-time, pass all courses in the set period and progress successfully after that, and provide a medical checkup result after passing selection. Deferral is not permitted. If a scholar withdraws, has the scholarship cancelled, repeats a year, or otherwise cannot continue studying in Japan, they must refund everything received, including amounts paid directly to the Japanese university, unless the situation is formally approved as unavoidable, for example illness. Over a six-year medical degree, that refund clause is a real financial risk to understand up front.

What the application asks for, and how it is sent

Applicants complete ERIA’s application form and submit it with high school and first-year undergraduate transcripts carrying official stamps, with a certified English translation if the originals are not in English. The essay has to fit ERIA’s template and stay under 1,000 words, and it should cover why you want to study in Japan, your knowledge of your country’s health system and how you would contribute, your achievements, leadership and teamwork, and a brief plan for your medical studies and career. One faculty recommendation letter is required, and an English test certificate is optional.

Applications are sent to ERIA as a single PDF by email, not through an online portal, with a specific subject line and all supporting documents attached. For Category B the deadline was 5 PM Jakarta time on 31 August 2026.