Japan Tobacco Inc. said Friday it will establish a university scholarship for students from low-income families, providing up to ¥8.8 million until graduation in the most generous program of its kind.

The program is scheduled to start next April, JT said.

"Students from low-income households tend to give up on attending university, so we'd like to offer support by providing a scholarship, which recipients don't need to repay," said Mahoko Tsuchiya, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo-based company.