What's On

Dates: Thursday 26 - Friday 27 February 2026

Venue: The University of Sheffield

Registration for the 2026 iteration of the Japan Foundation/British Association for Japanese Studies PhD Workshop, "Navigating Your Future in Japanese Studies" is now open!

If you are a PhD student conducting research related to Japan, why not come along for our workshop which aims to support the ongoing development and future of Japanese Studies in the UK?

This time, we have decided to host the workshop over two days to allow more opportunity for insightful workshops and networking, enabling attendees to build valuable connections with Japanese Studies students and researchers across the UK.

We have listened to feedback from previous workshops and concerns of postgraduate students in Japanese Studies, and have decided to focus this workshop on how to navigate the changing landscape and job market in Japanese Studies.

Exact sessions at the workshop are yet to be finalised but the tentative timetable is below.

*Please note: We are still in the early planning stages and the following is subject to change*

Please note: attendees to the workshop must be able to attend both days.

Student Submissions:

As an essential part of the workhop, PhD and MA students will be asked to present their research in front of a small group of peers. Further information about this will be provided after the registration deadline has passed. However, if you have any questions please get in touch.

Financial Support: 

The following financial support is available to presenting attendees.

Travel Grant: JF will offer a partial travel grant for student participants. Once an initial 30 GBP is covered by the student, JF will provide up to a maximum of 90 GBP for public transportation to the event. For any questions, please contact Iona Vos using the contact emails at the bottom of this item.

Hotel Grant: BAJS will cover a one night stay up to a maximum of 90 GBP per attendee. If you have any questions about the hotel grant, please email BAJS Secretary Mara Patessio at mp78@soas.ac.uk.

Please note:

Attendance to this event is capped at 40 students on a first come, first served basis. As the number of participants is limited, please only register if you know you can attend both days of the workshop.

Current Ph.D. students will be prioritised. MA students will be placed on a waitlist, with places being confirmed after the deadline has passed.

If you have registered but can no longer attend, please contact us to cancel your place.

Contact

If you have any questions about the workshop, please email Iona Vos at LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp. Please CC Natsumi_Abe@jpf.go.jp (Manager for Japanese Studies) and Iona_Vos@jpf.go.jp (Assistant Programme Officer for Japanese Studies).

Date: Tuesday 4 July, 6pm – 7.30pm GMT

Venue: Council Chamber*, University of East Anglia

*Search ‘Council House’ on https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/campus-map

Online Streaming Available via Zoom

Are you someone with a general interest in Japanese culture and society? Or are you a sixth form student or current university student, either studying Japanese language or with an interest in learning more about Japan? Why not come and listen to our next lecture as part of our new seminar series: Exploring the World of Japanese Studies!

Our second lecture, War and Peace: How ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ Speaks to Japanese Literature, Art, History, and International Relations, is hosted by the University of East Anglia. This talk will feature contributions from Dr Ra Mason (Sasakawa Associate Professor); Dr Sherzod Muminov (Associate Professor in Japanese History); Dr Hannah Osborne (Lecturer in Japanese Literature); Dr Eriko Tomizawa-Kay (Associate Professor in Japanese Art History & Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies) and Dr Nadine Willems (Associate Professor in Japanese History).

Talk Description: This event takes inspiration from Studio Ghibli’s renowned film Grave of the Fireflies, a powerful story of war and loss. We will begin with a screening of the film’s trailer, using it as a starting point for an open discussion with both the panel and audience. Each speaker will then give a short presentation (around 10 minutes) from their area of expertise, followed by interactive discussion and questions from the audience.

The talks will explore themes such as the intersections of art and war, the ethics of representing wartime experiences through film and literature, Japan’s anti-nuclear movement, the dynamics of modern Japan–China relations, and the role of nationalism in twentieth-century Japan. Taken together, these perspectives invite us to reflect on how the themes depicted in Grave of the Fireflies connect to broader questions of memory, ethics, politics, and international relations.

Note: As with past events, video clips and trailers will be shown during the live session but may be omitted from any online recordings.

About the Speakers

	Dr Ra Mason (Sasakawa Associate Professor, School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies) is an internationally recognised specialist in the international relations of the Indo-Pacific, with a specific focus on Japan. His work draws on theories of risk, security and social construction to understand the complex relations between regional alliances, states and non-state actors. He is also interested in wider questions about global politics and conflict.
	Dr Sherzod Muminov (Associate Professor in Japanese History) is a multilingual historian working with sources in Japanese and Russian, and is also fluent in Turkish. His primary research is in modern Japanese and East Asian History, Japanese-Soviet/Russian relations, the Cold War in East Asia, the post-WWII, post-imperial migrations in East Asia, and the international and transnational history of the Soviet system of forced labour camps for prisoners-of-war.
	Dr Hannah Osborne (Lecturer in Japanese Literature) is Japan Foundation Lecturer in Japanese Literature at the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing and the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia. She completed her doctoral thesis, Gender, Love and Text in the Early Writings of Kanai Mieko at the University of Leeds in 2015. Her research interests include: intersections between text, illustration and the avant-garde arts; gender and the body; and women's writing and translation in modern Japanese literature.
	Dr Eriko Tomizawa-Kay (Sainsbury Institute Associate Professor in Japanese Art History and Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia)’s research focuses on modern and contemporary Japanese art, with particular emphasis on nihonga and Okinawan visual culture. She explores their roles in identity, diplomacy, and memory, and her curatorial projects highlight collaboration with artists, museums, and communities. She received her PhD from SOAS, University of London, and has previously held positions as Art History Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow at the Sainsbury Institute, Toyota Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan, and Visiting Research Associate at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.
	Dr Nadine Willems (Associate Professor in Japanese History) is an intellectual and cultural historian of modern Japan, whose research interests include historical geography, early 20th century agrarian movements, the anarchist critique of modernisation in a transnational perspective, and the literature of dissent. She is currently engaged in a project that examines the personal accounts and visual records produced by rank-and-file soldiers who participated in Japan’s military intervention in Siberia between 1918 and 1922. She obtained her PhD from Oxford University.

Applications are now open for our head office grants: the Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship Program for Ph.D. candidates and researchers, the Grant Program for Japanese Studies Projects, and the Program for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields.

Applications for Fellowships in collaboration with other institutions are also open: JF-CIJS-EAJS Fellowship programme for Ph.D. candidates in Europe, the JF-GJS Fellowship Program for post-doctoral researchers, and the JF-Nichibunken Fellowship Program for post-doctoral researchers.

Details on each programme and application information follows below.

Japanese Studies Fellowship Programme

This program provides preeminent foreign scholars and researchers in the field of Japanese studies with opportunities to conduct research in Japan, with the aim of supporting them and promoting Japanese studies overseas. Experts in the fields of natural science, medical science, and engineering are excluded.

There are three subcategories as follows.

1. Scholars and Researchers (Long Term) (4 - 12 months)

For scholars and researchers who have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent professional experience at the time of application and are conducting research related to Japan (comparative research included) in the humanities and social sciences, whose projects require them to travel to Japan to carry out research over a long period of time. A named affiliate in Japan is also required at the time of application.

2. Scholars and Researchers (Short-term) (21 days - 89 days)

For scholars and researchers who have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent professional experience at the time of application are conducting research related to Japan (comparative research included) in the humanities and social sciences, whose projects require them to travel to Japan to carry out research, gather materials, etc., intensively over a short period of time. A named affiliate in Japan is also required at the time of application.

3. Doctoral Candidates (4 - 12 months)

For doctoral candidates working in the field of Japanese Studies, the humanities and social sciences who are in the closing stages of their Ph.D. and who need to undertake fieldwork in Japan in order to complete their dissertation/thesis. A named affiliate in Japan is required at the time of application.

Grant Coverage:

• Round-trip airfare (discount economy class - most direct and economical route)
• Stipend and other allowances

Dates for FY 2026-2027 programme:

• Applications available: Apply through our Online Application Portal. Details on the programme list on our Tokyo site.
• Application Deadline: Apply through Online Application Portal by 4am GMT (1pm JST) on Tuesday 2 December 2025
• Notification of Results: By the end of April 2026
• Project Duration: Research trips must commence between 20 June, 2026 and 20 March, 2027.

US citizens residing in the UK without UK permanent resident status should submit their applications on-line via the website of the Japan Foundation, New York.

For further information, please contact the Japan Foundation London The Japan Foundation, London (LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp) or go to the programme list on our Tokyo site.

Please contact the Japan Foundation to discuss eligibility before applying.

Grant Programme for Japanese Studies Projects

This programme is designed to promote Japanese Studies overseas by providing grants to non-profit organisations such as higher education institutions and research institutions that are implementing Japanese Studies activities.

Eligible projects must fall into any of the following four categories:

• Research or conference on Japan; study or training in Japan; or publications that promote and contribute to the development of Japanese studies;
• Inviting scholars or researchers from Japan or other countries to deliver lectures on Japan;
• Purchase of books and materials on Japanese studies;
• Other relevant projects which would further promote and expand the horizon of Japanese studies.

*Projects in the field of natural sciences, commercial activities, arts and cultural activities, activities in support of specific doctrines or claims, and so forth are not eligible for this programme.

Grant Coverage:

Part of the following expenses:

• Travel expenses (international airfares and other transportation expenses, daily allowances and accommodation fees)
• Honoraria (for lecturers, collaborators, interpreters, etc.)
• Meeting expenses (for preparing materials, venues, equipment, public relations, etc.);
• Other direct expenses (for purchasing materials, etc.)

Dates for FY 2026-27 programme:

• Applications available: Apply through our Online Application Portal. Details on the programme list on our Tokyo site.
• Application Deadline: Apply through Online Application Portal by 4am GMT (1pm Japan Standard Time) on Tuesday 2 December 2025.
• Notification of Results: By end of April 2026.
• Project Duration: Projects must be implemented and completed during FY 2026-25 (Between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027)

For further details on this programme and application forms either contact the Japan Foundation London The Japan Foundation, London (LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp) or go to our Tokyo site.

Please contact the Japan Foundation to discuss eligibility before applying.

Programme for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields

This programme provides a six-month residential language course for specialists (researchers, postgraduate students, librarians, museum and art gallery curators, etc.) who need to improve their Japanese for academic or professional purposes. Courses take place at our Japanese-Language Institute in Kansai, Japan. Tuition, accommodation and meals are included in the programme but UK based applicants bear their own return travel expenses to Japan. The programme is open to those who are in a field of Japan-related humanities and social sciences, who are aged under 40, and who have a proficiency in Japanese, equivalent to or higher than level JLPT N4 (level 3 of the old JLPT).

Dates for FY 2026-27 programme:

Course Dates:

• Course Dates: 6 month course, from early-October 2026 to late-March 2027
• Applications available: on the programme list on our Tokyo site
• Application Deadline: Apply through Online Application Portal by 4am GMT (1pm Japan Standard Time) on Tuesday 2 December 2025 
• Notification of Results: Late April 2026

For further details on this programme, please contact the Japan Foundation London The Japan Foundation, London (LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp) or go to our Tokyo site.

Please contact the Japan Foundation to discuss eligibility before applying.

JF-CIJS-EAJS Fellowship Program

Tohoku University's Center for Integrated Japanese Studies (CIJS), in collaboration with the Japan Foundation (JF) and supported by the European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS) has announced a research fellowship programme that allows Ph.D. candidates who conduct research related to Japan in the humanities or social sciences, and feel the need to visit Japan to complete their doctoral research to do so at Tohoku University.

Dates and length of fellowship: The fellowship will last between 4 and 12 months, commencing between September 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027.

Application Deadline: Applicants must send their application paperwork to JF-CIJS-EAJS@jpf.go.jp before Friday 21 November, 2025 (Japan Standard Time).

Full eligibility details and application information can be found at:

https://cijs.oii.tohoku.ac.jp/en/news/detail---id-69.html

For any inquiries, please email: JF-CIJS-EAJS@jpf.go.jp.

2026 JF-GJS Fellowship Program

In order to promote Japanese Studies overseas, this programme, jointly organised by the Japan Foundation (JF) and the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia of the University of Tokyo (Tobunken), provides post-doctoral researchers in the field of Japanese Studies with opportunities to conduct research in Japan while belonging to Tobunken. The Fellows will also be expected to gain experience as project facilitators through operation and management work at various meetings or workshops, and to form and expand networks with people involved in international exchange.

Dates and length of fellowship: The fellowship will last between 6 and 24 months, commencing between September 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027.

Application Deadline: Applicants must send their application paperwork to JF-GJS@jpf.go.jp before Monday 1 December, 2025 (Japan Standard Time).

Full eligibility details and application information can be found at:

https://gas.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/networking/2026-jf-gjs-fellowship/

For any inquiries, please email: JF-GJS@jpf.go.jp.

JF-Nichibunken Fellowship Program

This programme is jointly organised by the Japan Foundation and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, National Institutes for the Humanities (Nichibunken). It provides post-doctoral researchers in the field of Japanese Studies with the opportunity to conduct research in Japan while belonging to Nichibunken. The Fellows will also be expected to gain experience as project facilitators through operation and management work at various meetings or workshops, and to form networks with people involved in international exchange.

Eligibility

Eligible research themes examine Japanese culture from an international, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive perspective in the fields of the humanities and the social sciences. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. at the time of application, and must have received the Ph.D. within 6 years as of April 1, 2026.

Grant Coverage

• Round-trip airfare (discount economy class - most direct and economical route)
• Stipend and other allowances

Dates for FY 2026-27 programme:

• Applications available: Apply by filling out and sending the Application Form to JF-Nichibunken@jpf.go.jp. For full details and Application Form, click here.
• Application Deadline: Monday, 1 December (JST) 
• Notification of Results: Applicants who pass the first screening will be invited for interview in January, 2026. Successful Fellows will be informed in April 2026.
• Project Duration: Fellows will be invited to stay continuously in Japan for a period from over 6 months to a maximum of 24 months. Projects must commence between September 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027.

If you have any questions regarding the JF-Nichibunken Fellowship, please email JF-Nichibunken@jpf.go.jp .

The Japan Foundation London has begun collecting information for the Japanese Studies Survey 2025.

JF London, with the cooperation of the British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS), conducts a survey every 5 years. Our survey targets universities, researchers and students undertaking Japan-related studies in the humanities and social sciences, to analyse trends and support researchers in expanding their networks.The survey is essential in investigating the current landscape of Japanese Studies and Japan-related research in the UK

What will the survey include?

(1) University Directory Survey - This directory aims to provide students and the general public with useful reference information by listing universities that offer humanities and social sciences programs related to Japanese studies, employ faculty members specialising in such areas, or provide Japanese language education.

(2) Student Survey - This survey is intended for students in academic departments offering Japan-related studies programs, students in the humanities and social sciences whose topic of research or primary interest includes Japan, and undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students majoring in Japanese language or translation studies. (Students studying only Japanese language are not eligible.) 

(3) Researcher Survey - This survey is intended for researchers affiliated with Japan-related studies departments, as well as researchers in the humanities and social sciences whose research includes Japan as a research subject.

(4) Researcher Directory Survey - To facilitate networking among students and researchers, we will create a directory of humanities and social sciences researchers whose work includes Japan-related studies, regardless of whether they are affiliated with Japanese studies department. This directory will be published on our website.

Deadline for All Responses: 12th September 2025

How can I help?

We have begun requesting information from universities across the UK, their students, and researchers in the field.

If you would like to participate in the survey or you would like any further information, please contact us at:

LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp (CC Natsumi_Abe@jpf.go.jp and Iona_Vos@jpf.go.jp)

We look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for your cooperation.

You can view the 2020 Japanese Studies Survey here.

Date: Monday 3 November, 5pm GMT.

Venue: Duke Street Lecture Theatre, Norwich University of the Arts

The Japan Foundation London is proud to support our friends at the University of East Anglia on their upcoming lecture, Okinawan Crafts: History and the Present with Professor Junko KOBAYASHI (Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts).

This lecture by Professor Kobayashi will explore the history and contemporary relevance of Okinawan craft, addressing themes such as identity, regional heritage, and sustainability. The work of eight Okinawan artists will be reflected on, exploring their historical context, the evolution of Ryukyuan aesthetics, the preservation of identity through craft, and the adaptation of traditional practices in the modern era.

The lecture is part of the accompanying programme for the exhibition ‘Okinawan Kogei: Crafting Continuity and Change’ that runs from Wednesday 29 October – Saturday 1 November, at the Crypt Gallery, Norwich.

This lecture will be taking place in person, but will be available via livestream.

To find out more about the lecture and exhibition, click here.