The Japan Fund announces the availability of limited funds to support research-related activities for advanced-level graduate students specializing in Japanese Studies.

The program is intended to fill in the gaps between the availability of university and external funding for graduate dissertation work. As a result, awards will be made on a competitive basis to students who are conducting dissertation field research, or writing up the results of dissertation research.

General Requirements and Overview:

• Advanced standing assumes that residency requirements have been met (must be registered in TGR status by the time of award).
• Applicants should have completed course work before the period covered by the grant, and should be prepared to undertake full-time research and write-up of the dissertation topic.
• Former recipients who have already received two years of funding (total of 8 quarters) from the Japan Fund are ineligible to apply.
• Fellowships will cover tuition (TGR), possible travel to, from and within Japan, and reasonable living expenses. No funds will be available to cover travel or maintenance costs of dependents.

Application Process:

1. Completed FSI Fellowship Application

In addition to the two-page application, applicants should include the following information (in the order listed):

2. Curriculum Vitae

3. Detailed Project Description

This description should be clear and concise, especially to readers outside of your discipline, and should be no longer than five double-spaced or three single-spaced typewritten pages. The description should include the following:

• The principal focus of the dissertation research;
• How the data will be organized in the dissertation;
• How the topic relates to Japanese Studies;
• An indication of what you expect will develop in the dissertation (hypotheses, no matter how tentative, which will enable the committee to determine the direction of your thinking and what you hope to accomplish intellectually);
• For applicants in Ph.D. programs in the professional schools, career plans and objectives should also be described, with particular emphasis given to background factors demonstrating a commitment to a career involving Japan or Japanese-American relations.

4. Research Timetable

Timetable for the Completion of Research or of Dissertation. State where your research now stands, what remains to be done, and the estimated date of completion. Should be no longer than one page.

5. Statement of Income

A statement of anticipated grants, loans, and other sources of income should be disclosed with every application. Cost of living awards to students in the dissertation write-up stage of their academic career will be awarded at a standardized level (to be established annually by FSI) and a detailed expense budget is not required, unless living outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. Stipendary awards may be adjusted, for areas with a different cost of living index.

6. Detailed Budget

Required when requesting travel funds or living outside of the San Francisco Bay Area

Include an itemized list of estimated costs and expenditures to be covered during the grant period. The budget should be no longer than one page, with a separate page for budget justification when appropriate (whenever proposed costs are unusually high).

7. Transcripts

Transcripts should cover all coursework, including evidence of work most recently completed. It need not be an official transcript (i.e. Axess print outs are acceptable).

8. Letters of Recommendation

No more than Two Letters of Recommendation. Applicants should provide a copy of the Request for Letter of Recommendation and Instructions for Letter of Recommendation (contained in application file) to each individual asked to write a letter of recommendation. The form contains information pertaining to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Applicants must indicate by signature whether or not s/he waives the right to inspect the completed recommendation. The letters should come directly from faculty members, one of whom is the applicant's major advisor, sent to the Fellowship Manager. All letters should be sent directly to FSI, or may be included with the application materials if they are each in a signed, sealed envelope and accompanied by a signed Request for Letter of Recommendation form.

1 original set of a complete application file should be submitted to:

Ronda Fenton
616 Serra Street
Encina Hall
Stanford, CA 94305-6055
(650) 725-2564 (voice)
(650) 725-2592 (fax)
fenton@stanford.edu

To receive confirmation of receipt of application, please include a self addressed postcard. Postcards will be date stamped and returned to applicant via United States Postal Service.

Applicant inquiries requesting confirmation of receipt of application components cannot be processed in a timely manner due to staffing limitations and are discouraged.