Ulaanbaatar, June 27, 2025 /MONTSAME/.  The Office of the President of Mongolia and the Nippon Foundation of Japan signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the Japan-Mongolia Sasakawa Scholarship Program on June 26, 2025.

The Memorandum was signed by Chief of Staff of the Office of the President of Mongolia Uilstuguldur Altankhuyag, and Executive Director of the Nippon Foundation Takashi Arikawa.

The implementation of the Scholarship Program, which will provide 1,000 students from rural areas with full scholarships to study at leading universities in Mongolia, was agreed during the State Visit of the President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa to Japan in 2022. The Scholarship Program aims to prepare qualified personnel to lead the local community in achieving sustainable development goals in Mongolia and creating conditions for people to have a healthy and happy life in a safe and healthy environment. Under the program, students from rural areas will be selected to pursue studies in professions that are critically needed for the implementation of “Billions of Trees”, “Food Supply and Security”, and “Healthy Mongol” National Movements, initiated by the President of Mongolia.

Students to be awarded the scholarship will pursue studies in Environmental Science, Forestry, and Ecology at the National University of Mongolia, Medicine, Public Health, and Nutrition at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Animal Husbandry, Agronomy, and Plant Protection at the Mongolian University of Life Sciences, and Food Production, Food Supply, Security, Nutrition, Biotechnology, Microbiology, and Engineering at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. Students who have completed their first year of studies in the specified major and wish to return to their local communities are eligible to apply for the Scholarship Program.

Advisor to President of Mongolia on Foreign Policy Odbayar Erdenetsogt said, “During the State Visit of the President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa to Japan in 2022, Mongolia and Japan upgraded their bilateral relations to the level of the Special Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity. When making this decision, the two countries reviewed their relations in the past 50 years and signed a document to develop a people-centered, peace-loving, and prosperous strategic partnership in the next 50 years. The document contains provisions covering numerous sectors. One important part is education. We mutually agreed to cooperate with the Japanese Government in the education sector and actively organize the work of educating a great number of students in Japan. Accordingly, during the State Visit, the Chairman of the Nippon Foundation paid a courtesy call on President Khurelsukh to talk about cooperation with the Nippon Foundation, and when the Honorary President of the Nippon Foundation visited our country in 2023, the parties discussed specific collaboration. The Nippon Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the President of Mongolia have worked on this document for two years, and as a result, the Memorandum has been signed today. The implementation of the Scholarship Program will make a special contribution to building a bridge between Mongolia and Japan."

Director of the International Program Department at the Nippon Foundation of Japan Yuji Mori noted, “Our Foundation has been cooperating with Mongolia since 1990. In 1992, the successful implementation of the master’s program to train skilled personnel at the Academy of Management was the beginning of our cooperation. According to the respectful request and initiative of the President of Mongolia, we are signing a Memorandum today to provide 1,000 students with scholarships over 12 years.”

The Scholarship Program will select about 100 students each year based on their academic achievements and provide scholarships, with the condition that they will work in their rural area for three years after their graduation. The “Japan-Mongolia Sasakawa Scholarship Program” will last for 12 years and provide a total grant of over USD 5 million.