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Who received the 1 million yen? The recipients of the 'JIG-SAW × Hokkaido University Scholarship,' which supports the diverse challenges of students, have been decided

北大教育イノベ機構広報チーム（江）

Do you remember the post made on Hokkaido University's X account on April 1, 2026?
The post, which served as an announcement for the new scholarship program 'JIG-SAW × Hokkaido University Scholarship,' received a great response from both inside and outside the university, with approximately 3,300 applicants.
In this article, we will introduce the scholarship recipients who were decided following the selection event held at the Sapporo Campus on May 19th.


A new scholarship program to support 'challenges'

The 'JIG-SAW × Hokkaido University Scholarship' is a newly established scholarship program supported by JIG-SAW Inc. with the aim of supporting students who embody the frontier spirit, one of our university's basic philosophies, and take on new challenges.

It is open to all kinds of 'challenges' in student life, not limited to academic and research fields, but also including culture, arts, sports, volunteering, and extracurricular activities, regardless of whether the activity takes place domestically or internationally. One of its features is that it is a grant-type scholarship (1 million yen, lump sum) with no restrictions on use and no repayment required.

And the most unique feature of this scholarship is the selection method for determining the recipients.
Instead of interviews or grades, it adopts a lottery method at the selection event.Comments from applicants included, 'The hurdle for applying was low, making it easy to challenge myself,' 'I think it is a very grateful opportunity to receive money to put in effort in my life,' and 'I am full of gratitude for being given the chance to realize an idea that I couldn't challenge before because I needed funds, separate from my research in the laboratory.'

The selection event venue filled with anticipation and tension

On May 19, 2026, the 'JIG-SAW × Hokkaido University Scholarship' selection event was held at the Clark Memorial Student Center on the Sapporo Campus. Due to the large number of applicants, totaling 3,300, the first step was to select 500 people to participate in the selection event by lottery. After that, a process was taken to determine the scholarship recipients from among the students who participated in the selection event.

The two who arrived at the venue first.
They told us that the 'challenge' they wanted to win the money for was to go to graduate school or to use it for their research.
The lottery number is written on the card received at the reception.
Participating students looking carefully at the cards that might be their ticket to a new challenge

What are the thoughts behind the scholarship?

At the selection event, first, Mr. Hiromichi Suzuki, Director of JIG-SAW Inc., gave a greeting about the thoughts behind this scholarship program and his expectations for the students, followed by an interview where he talked about the background of the program's creation and the significance of supporting 'challenges'.

Regarding the novel selection method of a lottery, Director Suzuki said, 'The goal was to lower the hurdle for application so that we could equally support the will of each student to take a step forward, rather than ranking the content or field of the challenge.'

After that, Mr. Masataka Yamakawa, Representative Director of JIG-SAW Inc., announced that the number of scholarship recipients, originally planned to be 4, would be increased to 5, and this surprise announcement was met with loud applause from the venue.

'I would like to congratulate everyone who applied without hesitation and came to this place, and I hope you learn that nothing will move unless you move yourself,' said Representative Director Yamakawa.

The scholarship recipients chosen by lottery

The lottery to determine the scholarship recipients was conducted at the selection event by Fuji TV announcer Yuka Ebihara, who served as the moderator, as well as the following four university officials.

Clockwise from the left: Hiroshi Amitsuka, Executive Vice President; Fumihiko Yamamoto, Vice President / Director of the Student Counseling and Support Center, Institute for Education Innovation; Yasuhiro Hasegawa, Vice President; and Masayoshi Doi, Specialist, Graduate School Education Reform Promotion Office, Academic Affairs Planning Division, Academic Affairs Department
The tension in the venue also reaches its peak

Now, here are the recipients.

[1st Recipient]

3rd-year student, Faculty of Science (Name withheld at the individual's request)

[2nd Recipient]

Kaisei Ikawa, 2nd-year Master's student, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering

[3rd Recipient]

Yuto Kitaura, 4th-year student, Department of Marine Biological Science, Faculty of Fisheries Sciences

[4th Recipient]

Yusuke Oshima, 4th-year student, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Science

[5th Recipient]

Yukine Sakuma, 2nd-year Master's student, Department of Humanities, Graduate School of Humanities and Human Sciences

"Do not be afraid to be different from others"

JIG-SAW Inc., which supports this scholarship, is an IT company with a base in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and operates globally.
This scholarship program embodies the belief in "the wonder of taking on challenges" and the hope that students will "not be afraid to be different from others and will carve out their own paths."
We hope that through this program, each student will believe in their own potential and step into the future without being bound by existing values.

What's next for the recipients...

The scholarship recipients will provide regular activity reports as they pursue their respective challenges, such as job hunting, research, traveling abroad, or obtaining certifications. We ask for your warm support for these five individuals who have been selected.

Each person's "challenge" will eventually lead to someone else's next step.
The "JIG-SAW × Hokkaido University Scholarship" will continue to support student challenges as an initiative that creates such a chain reaction.

Furthermore, it has been confirmed that this scholarship program will be held again next year.
We look forward to receiving applications from many Hokkaido University students next year as well.


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