Four students from government pre-university colleges of Karnataka have been selected to participate in the ‘Sakura Science Program 2026’, which is being held in Japan from May 24 to May 30.

The students selected are Ashwitha K.H., of Government PU College Shringeri, Namratha Bai from Adarsha Government PU College, K.R. Nagar, Rohith D.S., from Government PU College Arasikere, and Akash Uday Harikant from Government PU College Kumta town.

The Union Ministry of Education and the State’s Department of School Education (Pre-University) have jointly sent these students to Japan.

Organised under the India-Japan exchange programme to broaden intellectual horizons and foster scientific exploration among young learners, the Japan Science and Technology (JST) Agency has been implementing the ‘Japan Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science’, also known as the ‘Sakura Science Programme’, since 2014. India has been participating in the programme since April 2016.

However, students from Karnataka were not part of the programme in 2025. The programme is dedicated to students who completed their class 10 in government high schools and are also studying PUC at government colleges in the science stream.

This year, a total of 56 students were selected from 15 States and Union Territories across the country. In Karnataka, the Department of School Education (Pre-University) shortlisted 100 students in the first step and later reduced the number based on the highest marks scored.

To take part in the event, students should be recipients of scholarships under the National Means cum Merit Scholarship (NMMS) Scheme of the Government of India.