With the aim of supporting specialists who require Japanese-language proficiency in order to smoothly perform their specialized work and research activities (such as researchers, graduate students, librarians, museum and art museum curators), this program provides training to improve their Japanese- language ability by learning practical Japanese and actually using it in their research and specialized work-related activities, conducted at the Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai.
There are no tuition fees. Participants will reside at the Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai (single rooms) and we will cover weekday breakfast and lunch (by cafeteria points and cash), and national health insurance and overseas travel insurance (with upper limit on coverage) airfare will NOT be covered for US applicants.
The program is held at the Japan Foundation - Japanese Language Institute, Kansai in Japan.
From early-October 2027 to late-March 2028.
During the training course, participants will independently conduct interviews with specialists in their field as well as plan their own trips to visit related facilities and, as they gather and understand research materials, they will be able to acquire the skills needed to exchange, collect, and report information in Japanese. The participants will need to independently plan their activities with an explicit theme. Participants are required to make a presentation about their research themes as their accomplishments of the course and specialized activities conducted during their stay in Japan at the end of the course.
* This training program is designed to develop the Japanese language proficiency required for research activities and specialist work, and does not provide education in specific fields of study. Participants must attend all classes as a general rule, and specialized activities such as research and fieldwork must be conducted outside of class hours or during designated intensive periods.
Magdalena Mastrandrea (University of Maryland) [2024-2025]
Michael VanHartingsveldt (University of Kansas) [2022-2023]
Elizabeth McDonald (University of California, Riverside) [2016-2017]
Application Deadline: Apply through Online Application Portal by 1 p.m., December 1st , 2026 (Japan Standard Time) [8PM, November 30th, 2026 Pacific Time]
Upload your application documents to the Online Application Portal. Online Application Portal: https://www.apply.jpf.go.jp * Visit the website to view the manual for this procedure.
Contact
Click here and use the form to contact us with any questions or to inform us of your intention to apply to one of these programs (Select Anything Related to Japanese Language Education).
Notification of Results: Late April, 2027
Application Instructions / Application Form:
5700 Wilshire blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
jflainfo'at'jpf.go.jp
323.761.7510
