JT to Grant Scholarships to 12 Asian Students

JT to Grant Scholarships to 12 Asian Students

Tokyo, May 7, 2012 --- Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) (TSE: 2914) announced today that it will grant scholarships to 12 self-financed students from Asian countries as part of the Company's 2012 Asian Scholarship Program aiming for human resource development in the region.

As a good corporate citizen maintaining harmonious relations with society, the JT Group has established various key areas for social contribution activities in the JT Group Social Contribution Policy, focusing on: Social Welfare, Arts and Culture, Environmental Protection, and Disaster Relief.

Aiming to contribute to promotion of international exchange and human resource development in Asian countries, the JT Asian Scholarship Program was established in 1998 to offer financial support to Asian students and has been conducted for the past 15 years. From fiscal 2010, the application area has been expanded nationwide in order to supply more chances for self-financed students to receive scholarship.

Through this program, self-financed Asian graduate school and doctoral course students currently studying or entering the 37 universities and colleges selected by JT from around the nation, will receive JPY 150,000 each month for up to two years. Each year JT awards scholarships to about ten applicants, and a total of about 20 students have been awarded scholarships in this consecutive round of the program.

A total of 172 students from 13 countries, in which 12 (six men and six women) in fiscal 2012 and 160 in past rounds are included, have been awarded scholarships.

As well as supporting study and research in Japan, JT also offers several opportunities to experience Japanese culture, establish networking with young JT employees and visit JT facilities.

Number of scholarships provided to students country-by-country

Country / Fiscal Year	'98	'99	'00	'01	'02	'03	'04	'05	'06	'07	'08	'09	'10	'11	'12	Total
China	2	3	8	5	5	7	4	6	8	5	8	4	9	8	5	87
South Korea	2	4	3	3	5	3	4	1	1	4	3	3	1	2	5	44
Taiwan	1	-	1	1	1	1	2	-	-	-	1	1	3	-	-	12
Vietnam	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	2	-	1	-	1	-	-	2	8
Indonesia	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	2	-	1	-	-	-	4
Mongolia	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	1	-	4
Bangladesh	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
Malaysia	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	2
Nepal	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
Thailand	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	2
Sri Lanka	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	-	2
Pakistan	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Myanmar	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Total	5	9	12	10	13	11	10	11	11	14	15	12	15	12	12	172

###

Japan Tobacco Inc. is a leading international tobacco product company. Its products are sold in over 120 countries and its internationally recognized cigarette brands include Winston, Camel, Mild Seven and Benson & Hedges. With diversified operations, JT is also actively present in pharmaceuticals and foods. The company's revenue was JPY 2.034 trillion (US$24,745 million(*)) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

* Translated at the rate of JPY 82.19 per $1, as of March 30, 2012