Frequently Asked Questions: Japanese Studies Fellowship
Programs
Contents
COVID-19................................................................................................................................... 1Eligibility .................................................................................................................................... 1
Application Materials.................................................................................................................... 3
Letters of Recommendation, Letters of Affiliation, and Language Evaluations ..................................... 4
Technical Difficulties.................................................................................................................... 4Award Notifications ..................................................................................................................... 5

COVID-19-Is the Fellowship program cancelled due to COVID-19?
- No, it is not cancelled. JF is still operating the Fellowship program.

-Can I travel to Japan?
- JF operates the Fellowship program in accordance with Japanese and the U.S.
governments’ regulations. You can monitor the COVID-19 Information from theU.S. Embassy and Consulates in Japan.
- If travel restrictions are reinstated to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we will ask
awardees to postpone their research plans accordingly. Please monitor theEmbassy of Japan’s Webpage for updates.
- Awardees must abide by any and all safety and quarantine procedures mandated
by the central and municipal government of Japan, the JF, and all other relevantbodies.

Eligibility-What kinds of research does JF support? Has JF supported research similar to mine in thepast?
- The Japanese Studies Fellowship programs only support research projects infields of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Projects in other areas, such as
Natural Sciences and Medicine are ineligible.

-For examples of eligible research topics, please see our Past Awardees.

-My research compares Japan to other region(s). Am I eligible?
- Yes, JF welcomes comparative research. As long as a significant portion of yourproject deals with Japan, then you are eligible to apply.
- JF can only support research in Japan and will only award benefits in JapaneseYen, while the Fellow is in Japan. Fellows are individually responsible forexpenses related to travel and research in other countries.

-I am a citizen of another country studying in the U.S. Am I eligible?
- The JF New York application is only open to U.S. citizens and permanentresidents.
- Citizens with dual U.S. citizenship are welcome to apply via JF New York. If you
are not sure which country’s branch office you should apply through, please get intouch with us at jf_fellowship@jfny.org.
- If you are a citizen or permanent resident of another country studying in the U.S.,
please apply via our JF’s Tokyo Headquarters using a different form. Note thatthe deadline and submission requirements may be different, so please read theinstructions carefully.

-I am a U.S. citizen studying/working at a foreign university. Am I eligible?
- Yes, U.S. citizens and permanent residents may apply via JF New York. Please
review the Guidelines and submit your materials online.
- If you have citizenship or permanent residency in the country where you are
currently residing, please apply via JF’s Tokyo Headquarters. Note, the Tokyo
program uses different application forms and has a separate deadline from theNew York program.

-We are working on a joint research project. Can we apply as a group?
- No, JF only supports individuals and cannot support group research projects.
- Participants may apply separately, and each participant’s application will bescreened independent of other group member(s).

-I plan to travel frequently between Japan, the U.S. and/or other countries. Can JF divide
my Fellowship into multiple terms?
- In principle, the Fellowship only supports continuous research in Japan. The
Fellowship cannot be divided into terms.
- If awarded, permission to travel outside of Japan must be requested in advance.
Permission is only granted in certain cases (e.g. academic conference), andstipend benefits may be suspended while the Fellow is outside of Japan.

--JF will only cover initial arrival and final departure airfare. The Fellow isresponsible for any other travel expenses during the Fellowship period.

[Doctoral Fellowship] I am a student in Japan. Can JF support my tuition?
- JF Fellowships only support visiting researchers in Japan. Students enrolled in adegree-granting program at a Japanese university are ineligible.

Application Materials-How do I apply?
- First, read the Guidelines.
- Then, apply online via SurveyMonkey Apply.
- Please be sure that you are following the guidelines and application proceduresfrom our New York office’s website, which are different from those on our Tokyo
Headquarters' website.

-I would like to submit extra materials: my JLPT score, a fourth letter of recommendation,a second letter of affiliation, etc.
- In the interest of fairness to all candidates, JF cannot accept supplementary
application materials. Any additional materials that are submitted will not bescreened by our committee.

-My travel plans might change in the next several months. Can I change my arrival dateafter submitting the application?
- Yes, if awarded you may request to change the start date of your Fellowshipperiod.
- Depending on the request, the Fellowship period may be shortened. Under nocircumstances will the duration of the Fellowship period be extended.

-[Doctoral Fellowship] Does JF accept e-transcripts?
- Yes, we accept either hard-copy, sealed transcripts or official e-transcripts issued
directly by the institution.
- All transcripts must be received by the application deadline. We recommend
ordering your transcript in advance to avoid costly rush fees.

-[Doctoral Fellowship] I earned a degree in a foreign country. Can I email a copy of mytranscript directly to JF?

-No, JF only accepts transcripts from international institutions that are submitted
according to the issuing institution’s release policies. This may be a registrarsealed envelope, or e-transcript sent to us at jf_fellowship@jfny.org

Letters of Recommendation, Letters of Affiliation, and Language Evaluations-What information should my recommender/affiliate in Japan include in their letters?
- Recommenders will see full instructions upon making an account and logging into our application website.
- If they have specific questions, please ask them to get in touch with JF directly at
jf_fellowship@jfny.org-

Can my recommender submit a letter via Interfolio?
- No, recommender materials must be submitted directly via our application
website.
- Letters of Recommendation should include specific comments on the proposed
research project. We suggest that recommenders avoid generalized letters.

-[Doctoral Fellowship] I have not taken a formal Japanese class in years. Who should I
ask to complete the language evaluation form?
- Please ask someone who can attest to the language skills needed to successfully
conduct your project, e.g. reading skills for analyzing documents, speaking skills
for conducting interviews.
- The language evaluator may be the same individual as one of your recommenders.

Technical Difficulties-I forgot my password. Can you reset it for me?
- No, please follow the instructions beneath the sign-in form to reset yourpassword.

-My recommender or affiliate never received an email prompting them to make anaccount. Can you resend it?
- Please ask your recommender to whitelist jfny.org and to check their spam folder.
If the email is still missing, then please contact us at jf_fellowship@jfny.org.
- If a letter-writer has difficulty with our website, JF will upload the letter on theirbehalf. Please ask your letter-writers to get in touch with us directly at
jf_fellowship@jfny.org.

-I made a typo in my recommender or affiliate’s name or email address. Can you fix it?
- We can remove the recommender and allow you to re-enter their information. We
do not recommend this if the recommender already submitted their materials on
your behalf.

Award Notifications-When will the results be announced?
- Results are announced within April each year. All applicants will be contacted byemail, as well as hard-copy letters.

-I was offered another award, but need to accept or decline it soon. Can JF notify me of
the results earlier?
- No, JF will make all award announcements at the same time and cannot announce
the results earlier.
- The JF Fellowship cannot be held concurrently with other awards. If you areoffered a JF award in April but have already accepted another to cover the sametime period, then you must decline the JF award.

-Why was my proposal not selected for award? Can I get feedback about my proposal?
- Due to our limited resources, JF is forced to decline many deserving proposals
each year.
- Proposals are screened by our American Advisory Committee and The JapanFoundation. These discussions are strictly confidential, so JF does not provide
feedback about applications.

If your question is not addressed here, please reach us at jf_fellowship@jfny.org