In order to promote Japanese Studies overseas, this program provides support to outstanding scholars in the field by providing the opportunity to conduct research in Japan. For Doctoral candidates, the fellowship will last for 4-12 months. Applicants must be Doctoral candidates in the humanities or social sciences who need to conduct research in Japan to complete their dissertations. Applicants must have achieved ABD status by the time the fellowship begins. Higher priority will be given to those who are expected to submit their dissertation shortly after the completion of the Fellowship, and to those who show promise of future achievement as Scholars of Japanese Studies. Priority will also be given to applicants who can conduct research and communicate in Japanese. Applicants must be American citizens, including those who are temporarily residing abroad, or permanent residents of the United States. American citizens who hold permanent resident status in another country in which they are residing (except for Japan) and applicants residing in the United States who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents should upload their application documents to a different online application portal by December 2, 2025 using different forms. Applicants must have the capacity to conduct research activities required for the Fellowship program. Applicants must be proficient in either Japanese or English. Applicants must secure all affiliation arrangements by the application deadline. Project quality is evaluated on the basis of the following: the project's significance to the field and to the applicant's professional development; the project's feasibility in terms of time and resources; the securing of appropriate affiliation; evidence that residence in Japan is necessary for completion of the project; and plans to disseminate research findings, etc., in Japan and abroad. Applicants must submit three recommendation letters from those who are not the applicant's advisors/research associates in Japan and who are willing and able to judge the applicant's ability to carry out their proposal. For doctoral candidates, one of the three recommendation letters must be from a recommender from the institution with which they are currently affiliated. Each recommender should assess the applicant's ability to carry out their proposal, as well as the importance and impact of the project, and describe the relationship between themselves and the applicant in the specialized field. Please visit the fellowship's website for more information.