Each year we support 30 postgraduate students of Japanese studies at UK universities with awards of £15,000. Through this programme we aim to play a leading role in the development of Japanese studies in the UK. Awards are made to PhD and Master’s students.
We fund study at a wide range of universities across the country and generally our funding goes to students working within Japanese studies or similar departments. However, when justified we are comfortable funding students outside these departments, providing their research itself focuses on an aspect of Japan and demonstrably furthers the understanding of Japan in the UK. The duration of a studentship is one year only. To continue to receive funding for over a year, PhD students or students on multiple year Master’s programmes will need a new nomination for each year of study, for up to three years. For PhD nominations, applications for a fourth year (mostly focused on a writing up year) are not considered.
The programme is enabled by generous funding from The Nippon Foundation and continues their long-term commitment to sustaining Japanese studies and support for British universities.
How to apply
We do not take applications direct from individual students, but instead through nominations submitted by institutions.
If you are an aspiring postgraduate student interested in the Sasakawa Studentship, your first step should be to enquire within the relevant department at your university.
If you are an academic or university department interested in Sasakawa funding for your prospective students and are not already active in making nominations, you can contact us at gbsf@gbsf.org.uk to enquire about becoming a recognised nominator.
We accept nominations up to 31 March for students beginning study the following autumn. You can get an idea of what we are looking for in terms of information in our nominations from our nomination outline page.
Building a community
We want to understand how recipients of our funding are progressing, and to build a community of Sasakawa students and alumni. Towards this, we share a regular newsletter with current and former students thathighlights current work and wider UK-Japan activity and opportunities.
In addition, we organise student and alumni gatherings every one or two years. At these events current students present their work and meet and network with academics, other students, our alumni and representatives of organisations like the Japanese Embassy, Daiwa Foundation, Japan Foundation and others.
We also ask students to share a profile and a blogpost with us at some point during the year, for publication on our website and sharing through social media. We are keen also to interact with students on social media, sharing news of their progress, fieldwork or activity.
The Nippon Foundation community
Sasakawa students also become a member of a wider community of Nippon Foundation scholars, active in Japanese studies across the world. This offers a great opportunity to tap into a global network, to keep abreast of current developments, or look out for opportunities for academic and career development.