Since Hokkaido established the Hokkaido Future Challenge Fund to support overseas study, it has supported young people studying abroad through donations and business partnerships both inside and outside the prefecture. By FY2025, it had supported 61 students studying abroad, and donation activities are continuing in FY2026.
The fund was established in December 2016 to provide public- and private-sector support for young people with a spirit of challenge who wish to learn around the world. Its purpose is to develop people who will shape the future of Hokkaido, and by FY2025 it had supported 61 students studying abroad.
The fund broadly accepts donations from companies and individuals as donation and support partners. Specifically, Daio Paper Corporation donates part of the sales proceeds from regionally marketed products, 日糧製パン donates part of the sales proceeds from its “Love Love Sand” products, and Aeon Hokkaido Corporation continues to provide collection boxes.
For FY2026, the donation period has been announced as 1 to 31 July, during which donation activities are scheduled to take place. The fund’s operations include support-partner and support-volunteer programmes, as well as opportunities to interact with scholarship recipients and provide various forms of assistance.
The Hokkaido Future Challenge Support Council was established through collaboration among industry, academia and government to support the fund’s operations. It discusses the review and improvement of the programme, the selection of scholarship recipients for support, overseas dispatches and interaction with recipients after their return to Japan.