Nichibunken Academic Encouragement Award for Japanese Studies

The International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), founded in 1987, pursues international, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive research on Japanese culture. Research themes are established from an international perspective, enlisting the participation of numerous scholars from Japan and abroad. Interdisciplinary team research is the Center’s fundamental mode of scholarship.​

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.

Award

• Up to 90 days pursuing research at Nichibunken, to include airfare (economy class), accommodation and per diem allowances in accordance with the regulations of the National Institutes for the Humanities. No salary will be paid.
• Free use of the Visiting Research Fellows’ Room, Library, computers, and other facilities at Nichibunken.
• Accommodation at Nichibunken House (fees apply).
• A faculty member to mentor and assist research (please inform Nichibunken if you have a preferred faculty member).
• Assistance to any awardee whose nationality requires them to apply for a visa.

Eligibility

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. UChicago’s Center for East Asian Studies is a Full Member.

• Applicants must aspire to lead in the internationalization of Japanese Studies and comprehensive research on Japan in the humanities and social sciences, and aiming to produce doctoral dissertations that explore the diversity and multifaceted nature of Japanese history, society, or culture.
• Applicants can be of any nationality.
• Applicants already enrolled in or affiliated with another institution within Japan at the time of application are ineligible.
• Applicants who will have already finished their doctoral program at the time of arrival are ineligible.