Japan Press Weekly

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2016 February 10 - 16 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Nagano Prefecture expands its scholarship program for university students

Nagano Prefecture will expand its scholarship program for university students from low-income families in the prefecture. The tenacious efforts by parents, teachers, and the Japanese Communist Party finally bore fruit.

In 2014, the Nagano prefectural government launched a scholarship program which provides a lump sum of up to 300,000 yen to university freshmen to help cover university entrance fees. Nagano is the first prefecture to set up such a program. The prefectural government in its 2016 draft budget proposed to increase the financial support to needy students.

Under the proposed program, students can receive 150,000-250,000 yen a year (depending on which faculty they are in) for a maximum of four years. Eligible applicants for this program are graduates of local high schools whose parents are exempted from paying Nagano’s residential taxes due to low income levels.

Nagano residents have been demanding that the prefectural government establish a grant-type scholarship program as the central government only offers student loans. Together with local residents, a teachers union in the prefecture has been carrying out signature-collecting drives since 1989. In addition, the JCP members of the prefectural assembly repeatedly made requests to establish this type of program in assembly meetings.

Past related articles:
> Japan occupies bottom rank for 6th consecutive year among OECD countries in public spending for education [November 25, 2015]
> Debts of freshmen in private universities hit record high [April 4, 2015]