Nichibunken Academic Encouragement Award

The Award is designed to honor outstanding researches in Japanese Studies from an international perspective, as well as to subsidize the future development of such researches and foster the next generation of researchers in Japanese Studies.

For further details, please refer to the Recommendation Guidelines from the link below.
【 Recommendation Guidelines（Japanese）】
【 Recommendation Guidelines（English）】

Eligible candidates are limited to doctoral students recommended by overseas institutions holding academic exchange agreements with Nichibunken or international member institutions (Full Member) of the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies.

• (1) The students must be those aspiring to lead internationalization of Japanese Studies and comprehensive research on Japan in the humanities and social sciences, and aiming to produce doctoral theses that explore the diversity and multifaceted nature of Japanese history, society, or culture.
• (2) The students can be of any nationality.
• (3) The students already enrolled in or affiliated with another institution within Japan at the time of recommendation are excluded.
• (4) The students must be able to arrive in Japan on or after April 1, 2024 and depart on or before March 31, 2025.
  Candidates may request their desired research period within the designated period shown in the Recommendation Guidelines (up to 90 days including the dates of arrival and departure) and Nichibunken shall determine the period to be applied.

Three awardees are selected each year, in principle.

• Application Procedure

  One candidate may be recommended to the Director-General of Nichibunken by the President or Faculty/Graduate School Dean of each overseas institution holding an academic exchange agreement with Nichibunken or each international member institution (Full Member) of the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies.

  [ Documents to be prepared by the recommender ]

  • (1) Recommendation Form ( English ) ( Japanese )

  [ Documents to be prepared by the candidate ]

  • (1) Application Form
  • (2) Outline of research activities to date
  • (3) Research proposal (about 2,000 characters in Japanese)
  • (4) One of the following written by the candidate: Master's thesis, a published academic research paper, a paper presented at an international academic conference, or some equivalent piece of written work
  • (5) Proof of current enrollment in a doctoral program at graduate school
• Recommendation Deadline

  Before the midnight (Japan time) on Friday, December 1, 2023

Around February 2024

Notification of the selection results will be issued to the institutions holding academic exchange agreements with Nichibunken and international member institutions of the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies which recommended candidates for the award.

The following supports are provided to aid awardees who are doctoral students intending to produce a doctoral dissertation.

• (1) Awardees may spend up to 90 days pursuing research at Nichibunken. Awardees are paid airfares (economy class) for their arrival and departure, accommodation and per diem allowances during their stay in accordance with the travel expense regulations of the National Institutes for the Humanities. No salary will be paid.
• (2) Awardees may use the Visiting Researchers' Room, Library, computers, and other facilities at Nichibunken for their research activities.
• (3) Awardees may use the accommodation at Nichibunken House (fees apply).
• (4) Nichibunken shall appoint a faculty member (Counterpart) in light of each awardee's specialization (awardees should inform Nichibunken if they have a preferred faculty member).
• (5) Nichibunken shall provide assistance to awardees of nationalities required to apply for a visa to stay in Japan.
• (6) Nichibunken does not have the Overseas Travel and the Disaster Compensation Insurances for awardees to be enrolled. Awardees will be requested to enroll in these insurances at their own expenses before arrival in Japan if during the research period awardees require any medical treatments due to sickness or injury incurred from an accident.

International Research Center for Japanese Studies
Research Cooperation Division, International Research Promotion Unit
3-2 Goryo Oeyama-cho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 610-1192
Phone: +81(0)75-335-2041 Fax: +81(0)75-335-2092
Email: nichibunaward＊nichibun.ac.jp（Please replace＊with @.）