MEXT scholarship application call will begin within the next few months (typically March to May, each year).

Please refer to MEXT, the Japanese embassy (UK example) or consulate general in your country for further details.
Application for the embassy recommendation track should be made through the Embassy in your country according to your nationality. Each application process and schedule may differ according to the country the Japanese embassy is located.

Monbukagakusho Embassy Recommendation Application Schedule Example for Research/Postgraduate Students
(1) Application form preparation (Research plan can be discussed with prospective supervisor prior to submission with ample time. The candidate should have at least 2-3 months to prepare before the application call to conduct search and consultation) (Jan-Apr 2024)*
(2) Submission of application form to Embassy (the applicant should check that all documents had been well prepared and sent in before the deadline) (Apr-June)
(3) Screening examination by the embassy (English language written exam, Japanese test (may not be compulsory), or general/subject specific exams) (June-Aug).
(4) Contact by embassy on first screening results (between July-September)
(5) Second round of examination (interview exam, candidates could be evaluated on general and field-specific knowledge, communication skills, language ability and suitability assessment)
(6) Embassy forwards recommendation to MEXT and prospective university for further consideration (typically Oct-Dec)
(7) Students to contact the universities they had proposed for in the application form to obtain an acceptance letter (Oct-Dec 2024)
(8) Candidate to receive an acceptance letter/notice from the university/MEXT through the embassy (Dec-Feb 2025) . For a number of reasons, candidates may not get an acceptance letter from their university of choice (for advice, refer to (1)). Note that failure to get an acceptance letter (from any university) at this stage may lead to rejection as a MEXT candidate.
(9) The successful candidate may choose to take PhD entrance examination on Feb 2025, upon consultation with the embassy and graduate school.
(10) Arrival in Japan (April or September/October 2025)

* Schedule is dependent on the Japanese embassy in your home-country and type of program.

Notes:
(1) The MEXT scholarship is highly competitive. The number of successful candidates may differ from each year, to each country. We would advise early preparation of the documents and to be better prepared for the screening exam.
An ex-MEXT scholar (embassy recommendation track) at our department was one of the 25 scholars (about 1% of all applicants) chosen from more than 1500 candidates at her home-country.
(2) University recommendation track typically starts from November. At our experience, the university track was much more competitive than that of the embassy recommendation (3-5 successful applicants per year across all applicants in the university). University recommendation track also evaluates the candidate based on the candidate’s research and academic background (excellent publication record) and collaborative work history/ collaborative partnerships between the candidate (or research group) and the host instituition. Candidates asking for university recommendation should consider this point as well before proceeding.
(3) Our department can only accept applicants of the research student/postgraduate program.
(4) Preparation for MEXT scholarship application requires 1-1 1/2 years prior to acceptance and admission into a university in Japan. Candidates could also consider application of other Japanese scholarship options and financial assistance at the same time.