The Fulbright Scholar Program in Japan is meant to promote education and friendship between countries. Originally founded decades ago, the scholarship still continues today and helps students achieve their dreams. The Fulbright scholarship is not mere financial aid for the participants; it is a hope for a brighter future.
Table of Contents
- The Fulbright Scholar Program
- The Fulbright Scholar Program in Japan
- Additional programs - Special Exchange Project
- Summary
The Fulbright Scholar Program
The Fulbright Scholar Program is an educational exchange program established through and by the United States Government after World War II. Named after its proponent, former Senator William J. Fulbright, the exchange program seeks to establish diplomatic ties and promotes deeper understanding between the United States and other countries. Since 1946, it has already supported almost 400,000 professors, students, and scholars to pursue studies in other countries both to and from the United States.
Primarily, the Fulbright Scholar Program aims to train professors, students, and scholars to have a definite foundation on the principles of intercultural tolerance and understanding through education. Exchange students from the recipient countries of the Fulbright Scholar Program are given the opportunity to learn from the educational institutions of their selected country and to partake in their cultural and community activities.
It also provides financial and institutional support for individuals who are pursuing research in their respective fields in arts, business, engineering, humanities, medicine, and sciences. From the output of this research, each country would be able to come up with possible solutions to contemporary societal issues. Moreover, it provides a strengthening bond between the United States and its diplomatic allies. One of the countries by which Fulbright Scholar Program is partnered with is Japan.
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The Fulbright Scholar Program in Japan
Take note that the Fulbright Scholar Program is a binational education exchange program between its proponent, the United States, and other countries, there are requirements and even types of grants that differ from one country to another. Depending upon the agreement between the two countries, the Fulbright Scholar Program program should be appropriated with respect to that agreement. In this case, the Japan-U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program is inclined towards programs for professionals and students who are citizens of either country that lean on practicing and researching through dynamic means.
The Fulbright Scholar Program in Japan was established in 1979. Tracing back to its roots since 1951 wherein the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding that would govern the preliminary exchange program between the countries, the scholarship program has been promising for both to secure diplomatic ties. Since 1979, Fulbright Scholar Program funding has been contributed by each country, allowing a fair share of promoting mutual understanding between them. Since then, there have been more than 9,500 exchange students who participated in the exchange program.
Types of Grants for Americans in the Japan-Fulbright Scholar Program
For interested applicants who wanted to pursue studies in Japan via the Fulbright Scholar Program, it should be noted that there are two major classifications of grants under the program: grants for professionals and grants for students. Under the professional and scholar grants, the following are the types of grants that could be given under the exchange program:
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Journalist: 3-9 months; The grant is awarded to applicants currently working in journalism with 3 years of relevant experience.
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Lecturing: 5-10 months; The lecturing grant is provided to lecturers in humanities and social sciences fields to teach undergraduate and graduate classes related to American experience
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Lecturing/Research: 5-10 months, a combination of lecture and research responsibilities will be given to the grant recipients
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Research: 3 to 9 months; The grant is awarded to individuals who shall pursue research in respective fields especially in humanities and social sciences
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International Education Administrators: a 2-week program for school administrators to familiarize their practice with Japanese higher education through activities such as visits, forums, and seminars
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Fulbright Specialist: 2-6 weeks, This grant is awarded to scholars in different fields who could pursue collaborative projects with their international colleagues
Meanwhile, grants for students are specialized with respect to their academic career level, whether they are undergraduate or graduate. Here are the two grants for students:
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Fulbright Fellow: The grant is a 10-month long program awarded to graduating students in their Bachelor’s degree who are finishing their research. The purpose of this grant is to immerse the students into the culture of Japan as they pursue their research in their respective fields.
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Graduate Research Fellow: The grant is a 12-month long program exclusive for graduate students who are pursuing dissertation research in their respective fields.
Provided that student grants are focusing on research, it is expected at the minimum that each research project should be related or relevant to the Japanese experience in such fields. Also, their engagement with the Japanese academe and community will give their expertise a sense of capacity-building regarding the relationship between the two countries as well as manifesting it to the global community.
For example, Professor Seth Shelden, a Fulbright scholar in 2016 who worked lectured as a professor in fields of copyright and intellectual property, was inspired to advance the movement of nuclear weapons ban after his trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His experience with the community in the ground zero of the only atomic bomb strikes in history gave him a vision of a world without nuclear weapons. By 2017, he and his group International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapon (ICAN) won the Nobel Peace Prize after their efforts for banning nuclear weapons around the world.
※ Fulbright Japan, "My Fulbright Story"
Qualifications
To be able to qualify for such grants, one should have sufficient knowledge about eligibility requirements. The following are some of the important aspects of Fulbright scholarship eligibility in Japan.
· A bona fide U.S. citizen
· Sound mental and physical health
· Citizens who resided for 5 years or more outside the United States within the six-year period prior to application are ineligible
· Grants are not in any way permit and connected with missionary religious activities or any professional practice out of the country
· Applicants should have a good legal record
· Family members or employees from United States Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development are ineligible for application
· Previous grantees can still apply but a two-year grace period after the previous grant should be observed.
· Degree requirements are strictly observed
· Preferred working or teaching experience
· Language proficiency in Japanese (may vary with regards to the kind of the grants they belong with)
Additional programs - Special Exchange Project
Aside from the aforementioned classification of Fulbright Grants, Fulbright also administers Special Exchange Project. Under this program is the Japan-U.S. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Teacher Exchange Program. American and Japanese high school teachers are provided an opportunity to participate in a conference wherein the implementing organizations such as the U.S. Embassy, Ministry of Education, Sports, Science, Culture and Technology (MEXT) and the Institute of International Education would discuss the trajectory and prospects of Information and Communication Technology between Japan and the United States. The program aims to expand the understanding of high school teachers on such matters and expects that they will then apply it to their respective classroom-based teaching.
Summary
The world is becoming smaller and smaller. The shift towards compression also builds up strong bonds between countries. A bond of commitment to develop and support one another has been the main feature of such a connection. One of the examples would be the Fulbright Scholar Program between Japan and the U.S. As it continues to leave a significant mark in each country’s development and progress, we could be confident in its lasting promise of bringing together the two countries for a single goal.
