Tohoku U: Center for Northeast Asian Studies (Japan)

“JobProfessor or Associate Professor in Interethnic Relations and Conflict Studies, Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Japan. Deadline: Open until filled; posted 1 November 2025.

The Center for Northeast Asian Studies, established in 1996 as an independent research institute inside Tohoku University, aims to create interdisciplinary knowledge that contributes to solving cross-border environmental issues under cooperative globalization. In response to the changing global socio-political landscape, the Center established a new Department of Geopolitical Studies, founded upon the principles of interdisciplinarity, inter- and trans-regionality, and creative collaboration. Bringing together scholars from around the world, the Center is dedicated to integration – of research within and outside of Japan, of scholarship on and of the expertise of Northeast Asian studies – as a driving force for the development of Geopolitical Studies and as a roadmap for its future.

As part of this new initiative, the Center seeks to appoint a distinguished scholar in the Division of Interethnic Relations and Conflict Studies, Department of Geopolitical Studies. The ideal candidate will have a strong record of research on conflict and confrontation, as well as on the institutions that shape them, with particular attention to Russia, East Asia, and Japan. A demonstrated commitment to international collaboration is essential. The position also emphasizes the ability to lead the planning and organization of international conferences and seminars that connect scholars at Tohoku University, across Japan, and worldwide. They are especially interested in candidates who can situate their work within broader debates on geopolitical change and its social consequences, including the experiences of minority groups, and who can demonstrate excellence in building and coordinating international research networks

US-Japan Leadership Program 2026/27 (Japan/USA)

FellowshipsCall for applications: US-Japan Leadership Program (USJLP). Deadline: 5 January 2026.

USJLP is the flagship program of the United States-Japan Foundation. It launched in 2000 with the purpose of developing a network of communication, friendship and understanding among the next generation of leaders in each country.  With the goal of bridging the gap between East and West, the Program fosters a continuing dialogue among future leaders in a broad variety of professions. It starts this process by bringing some young leaders together from each country for two intensive weeklong conferences over two years, with discussions revolving around historical and current issues in bilateral relations, as well as issues reaching beyond our two countries. Through serious conversation as well as recreation and shared cultural activities it seeks to nurture lifelong friendships. The Program is designed to keep the leaders in touch with each other throughout their careers through a dedicated website and member directory, frequent reunions and newsletters, and online social networks.

Candidates for USJLP must:

🔹Hold U.S. or Japanese citizenship.
🔹Start their first Conference between the ages of 28 and 42.
🔹Have demonstrated leadership in their respective field.
🔹Feel comfortable expressing themselves in English.
🔹Commit to attending two consecutive seven-day Conferences over two summers and hold interest in lifelong engagement with USJLP.

Weatherhead Program on US-Japan Relations Fellowships 2026 (USA)

Fellowships

Weatherhead Program on US-Japan Relations Associates, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. Deadline: 15 December 2025. 

The roughly 16 Associates who join the Program include businesspeople, government officials, journalists, and scholars. They are primarily from Japan and the United States, but the Program has also hosted Associates from Australia, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

The Program also offers postdoctoral fellowships for social scientists in a broad range of fields, including anthropology, economics, education, history, law, political science, public health, public policy, and sociology. Projects that focus on Japan or Japan’s international role from a comparative, historical, or global perspective are welcome. A knowledge of the Japanese language is not required. Awards are for the academic year and provide $60,000 over 10 months.

Candidates must hold a doctoral degree by August 1, prior to the start of the academic year in September.

The Program was founded in 1980 based on the belief that the United States and Japan have become so interdependent that the problems they face require cooperation. Co-sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, the Program enables scholars and outstanding professionals from government, business, finance, journalism, NGOs, and other fields to come together at Harvard. Over the academic year, they conduct independent research and participate in an ongoing dialogue with Harvard faculty and students, and with others from the greater Cambridge-Boston community. 

Resident Director, Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (Japan)

“JobResident Director, Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan. Deadline: 5 December 2025.

Established in 1989, the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies is a consortium of 14 universities that offers academic year and summer programs. Working closely with the KCJS Board of Delegates, Columbia University, and Doshisha University, the RD is responsible for the continued development and oversight of the academic programs, student affairs, and administrative and financial management. The RD reports to a senior administrator at the administering institution, which is currently the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement at Columbia. The RD supervises a team of full-time administrative staff who assist in all areas of program management, in addition to a team of Japanese language instructors. The RD is charged with nourishing an intellectual and social environment that is supportive of excellence and high academic standards.

Tokyo International U: Global Teaching Fellows (Japan)

“JobGlobal Teaching Fellows (Lecturers), Global Teaching Institute, Tokyo International University, Tokyo, Japan. Deadline: 24 October 2025.

Tokyo International University (TIU), located in the greater Tokyo area, is seeking qualified applicants to teach as Global Teaching Fellows (lecturers) in the Global Teaching Institute (GTI). The purpose of GTI is to bring Japanese and international undergraduate students in contact with a diverse English-speaking faculty that will engage them in practical English communication skills through a variety of language-learning and culture-related topics. Lecturers teach a variety of courses including, for example: 1st and 2nd year required skill-based classes, and English for academic purposes (EAP), and academic literacy for international students.

Job responsibilities include teaching 10 classes (1000 minutes) 15 hours per week per semester spread across 5 days (8:45am to 5:35pm). Courses are generally assigned a standardized curriculum with required textbooks. Fellows are also expected to hold three 90-minute advising sessions per week in the Learning Commons / English Plaza, develop curricula and materials, and attend departmental and coordinator meetings. Fellows also assist with student recruitment including TIU Open Campus sessions and high school visits throughout the year as well as attend official university functions, such as graduation.

Earlham College: Assistant Director Japan Programs (USA/Japan)

“JobAssistant Director of Japan Programs, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, USA (partly based in USA, partly in Japan). Deadline: open until filled; posted 18 June 2025.

The Assistant Director of Japan Programs (ADJP) is a full-time, 12-month position that is a hybrid of Administrative Faculty and Teaching Faculty. It is classified as an Administrative Faculty position (and is therefore not eligible for tenure).

The position has two different bases of operation dividing the calendar year:

* From the start of the year (after the U.S. winter holidays) to early August: based on the main Earlham campus in Richmond, Indiana, with some travel to visit colleges and universities partnered with Earlham for Japan Programs and/or other programs

* From mid-August to mid-December: based in Morioka, Japan, in residence with the fall semester-only Japan SICE Program (beginning in fall 2026)

The ADJP assists the Director and other team members with program administration, events planning and management, and maintaining program partnerships. In addition, the ADJP also serves every fall semester as the Faculty Leader of the Japan SICE Program, providing two courses on comparative international education and related areas. In addition, the ADJP also serves as a resource person for the participants in Earlham’s full-time post-bac EC-ALT Program, in which recent college and university graduates serve as assistant English teachers in Morioka.

The ADJP reports to the Director and assists other Japan Programs team members in the administration of various Earlham programs related to Japan, including mainly on-site programs in Japan and programs serving incoming students, staff, and faculty members from Japan. Specific duties will be assigned by the Director.

CFP International Conference on Human Rights: Youth in Asia (Japan)

ConferencesCall for submissions: International Conference on Human Rights: Youth in Asia, University of Tokyo, Komaba, Japan, March 2025. Deadline: 31 January 2025.

The 2025 International Conference on Human Rights: Youth in Asia (2025 ICHR) is co-organized by East Asia Young Scholars Association (EAYSA)Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) Tokyo, and the Graduate Program on Human Security (HSP) and Research Center for Sustainable Peace (RCSP), the University of Tokyo. The ICHR positions Japan as a nexus for students and young scholars to express their ideas, exchange thoughts, and participate in the progressive development of the international human rights agenda. To this end, they invite academic submissions related to one or more of the following conference subthemes:

Contemporary Society

  • Technology and Human Rights
  • Climate Change and Humanitarian Action
  • Inequalities and Education
  • Gender and Conflict
  • Business and Human Rights

Democracy and Autocracy

  • Democratic Upheavals and Autocratization
  • Immigration and the Sustainability of Multiethnic Democracies
  • Refugees
  • Far-Right, Far-Left, and Polarization
  • Censorship and the Right to Express

They are particularly proud to encourage submissions from young scholars, studying Japanese human rights issues, and/or writing in the Japanese language! Detailed submission guidelines are now available here (English version, Japanese version). You may also review the Concept Note here: English version, Japanese version. Abstracts will be assessed in a double-blind review process on a rolling basis.

NOTE: The conference is free of charge to all presenters and participants.

US-Japan Leadership Program 2025/26 (Japan/USA)

FellowshipsCall for applications: US-Japan Leadership Program (USJLP), participants expected to be in Japan July 27 – August 3, 2025 AND in the US in late July 2026. Deadline: 6 January 2025.

USJLP is the flagship program of the United States-Japan Foundation. It launched in 2000 with the purpose of developing a network of communication, friendship and understanding among the next generation of leaders in each country.  With the goal of bridging the gap between East and West, the Program fosters a continuing dialogue among future leaders in a broad variety of professions. It starts this process by bringing some young leaders together from each country for two intensive weeklong conferences over two years, with discussions revolving around historical and current issues in bilateral relations, as well as issues reaching beyond our two countries. Through serious conversation as well as recreation and shared cultural activities it seeks to nurture lifelong friendships. The Program is designed to keep the leaders in touch with each other throughout their careers through a dedicated website and member directory, frequent reunions and newsletters, and online social networks.

All members hold US or Japanese citizenship, enter the Program between the ages of 28-44 and have demonstrated leadership in their respective fields. Membership requires a commitment to participate in two consecutive summer conferences as a Delegate (one in Japan, and one in the USA), and the intent to remain active in the Program as a Fellow (alumnus).

Weatherhead Program on US-Japan Relations Fellowships (USA)

Fellowships

Weatherhead Program on US-Japan Relations Associates, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. Deadline: 15 December 2024. 

The roughly 16 Associates who join the Program include businesspeople, government officials, journalists, and scholars. They are primarily from Japan and the United States, but the Program has also hosted Associates from Australia, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

The Program also offers postdoctoral fellowships during the 2025-26 academic year. They seek applications from outstanding recent PhDs in the social sciences who are conducting research that illuminates Japan’s relations with the rest of the world in the broadest sense. Applications are welcome from anthropology, business, economics, history, international relations, law, political science, psychology, public health, public policy, and sociology, among other fields. Scholars may examine domestic issues that bear on Japan’s external relations or problems that it shares with other countries, and projects that compare Japan’s experience cross-nationally are encouraged. The postdoctoral fellowship is a twelve-month appointment, in residence in the Boston area, that begins in either August or September.

The Program was founded in 1980 based on the belief that the United States and Japan have become so interdependent that the problems they face require cooperation. Co-sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, the Program enables scholars and outstanding professionals from government, business, finance, journalism, NGOs, and other fields to come together at Harvard. Over the academic year, they conduct independent research and participate in an ongoing dialogue with Harvard faculty and students, and with others from the greater Cambridge-Boston community. 

Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund for International Cultural Exchange or Goodwill (Japan)

Grants

Grants for International Cultural Exchange or Goodwill, Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund,  Deadline:  30 September 2024.

The Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund Grant program (JEC Fund Grant program) was established in commemoration of the success of the Japan World Exposition of 1970 (Expo ’70), the theme of which was “Progress and Harmony for Mankind,” to convey the legacy and ideals of Expo ’70 to future generations. The following kinds of projects are supported:

  • Projects contributing to international cultural exchange and international goodwill
  • International projects in the fields of academic study, education, social welfare, medical care, and hygiene and public health
  • International projects designed for conservation of nature and the human environment

Projects with either of the following themes are given preference in screening:

  • To inherit and evolve the idea of Expo ’70 toward EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (Expo 2025), resulting in the creation of values for a new era, and contribute to the success of Expo 2025
  • International conferences that qualify for the JEC Fund Grant are limited to meetings in basic natural sciences, excluding engineering and medical science, in which operational funds are deemed to be insufficient despite the importance of the meetings