Greeting

Chairman Greeting and business policy

The Yasuda Scholarship Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation, was established on December 20, 2005 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of Don Quijote Co., Ltd. (now PPIH).

At the time of our founding, there were many international exchange students who faced difficulty in pursuing their studies because of differences in language, customs, and culture, as well as economic reasons due to the strong yen making prices in Japan relatively high. By providing scholarships with no repayment obligation, we carry out support activities with the aim of helping to improve students' quality of life, fostering valuable human resources, and ultimately contributing to friendship and goodwill between Japan and other countries.

More than 20 years have now passed since our founding, and with the global situation and economic conditions rapidly changing, we have come to strongly feel that it is now Japanese students who are truly in need of support. The turning point came when we learned about the reality that many excellent, diligent students who funded their tuition through part-time jobs had to give up their studies midway due to the loss of such jobs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that struck in 2020.

No matter how outstanding the international students we support and nurture may be, if Japanese students themselves are not able to grow, it would defeat the purpose. We believe that what we must do now is to continue supporting international exchange students while also providing assistance to Japanese students who are struggling with finances.

Currently, our foundation is advancing scholarship support activities based on three main pillars: support programs for foreign exchange students, support programs for Japanese students, and support programs for primary and secondary education overseas. We work with the belief that intellectual contributions around the world through the development of human resources, the building of personal networks between Japan and other countries, and the deepening of mutual understanding and friendly relations will contribute to global peace and stability.