Scholarship loan programs are important educational measures to the goals of equal opportunity for education and human resource development, and they are broadly implemented by the independent administrative institution, Japan Student Services Organization, and local governments, incorporated non-profit organizations and schools, etc.

 The Japan Student Services Organization provides scholarship loan programs for exemplary students who have difficulty in getting education because of financial reasons. The programs offer interest-free loans and long-term low interest-bearing loans. The FY2010 budget for the whole program totaled 1,005.5 billion yen, which would provide 1,180,000 students with scholarship loans.

(Student Support and Exchange Division, Higher Education Bureau)