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Asia Kakehashi Scholarship in Japan

A Japanese government-sponsored program for Asian high-schoolers interested in building their global competence

Grow your global competence and become a future leader by spending an exciting year studying abroad in Japan! Whether you live with a host family or in a dorm, you will attend a Japanese high school and make friends with your Japanese peers. All this will help you improve your Japanese language skills, your academic prospects and your intercultural fluency.

The Asia Kakehashi Project (kakehashi is Japanese for “bridging”) is the initiative announced by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2017 to strengthen relations between Japan and the rest of Asia. The program provides full scholarships for Asian high school students to live and study in Japan. The first 100 students arrived in Japan in August 2018, and the program is gradually expanding in numbers and length of stay.

  1. Become a leader of tomorrow

  2. Experience Japanese culture

  3. Build your academic prospects

  4. Improve your Japanese language skills

AFS Japan manages all aspects of the program, including identifying volunteer host families and dorms for student placement, providing intercultural training and supporting students as they adjust to living in a new country. Students are selected based on academic achievement, financial need, interest in Japanese language and culture, as well as potential to be future leaders of positive change in their own communities.

Eligibility

Applicants to the Asia Kakehashi program must meet the following criteria:
  • Between 15 and 18 years of age
  • Highly motivated, high-achieving students
  • Learners of Japanese
  • Able and willing to travel abroad unaccompanied
  • Citizen of one of the following countries/regions at the time of application: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Invited Countries and Regions

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Call for Applications 2022 (Application closed)

PDF (145KB)

Message from a participant

“You will learn so much here. Your friends will help you. Your teachers will help you. Your host family treats you just like the same family, they will treat you very kindly. So don’t be scared – just take the opportunity.”

Ms. Putri Mohamed Shain from Malaysia, participant of the 2018/2019 program

VIDEO

Message from ASIA KAKEHASHI students

News and Activities

  1. news20210630-studentreporter01

    【高校生記者レポート】カンボジア留学生カオリさんへのインタビュー

    カンボジアから来日したカオリさんに高校生記者がインタビューし、カンボジアの経済状況、宗教観、嫌いな日本食など３つの質問をしました。
  2. news20210624–studentreporter02

    【高校生記者レポート】ミャンマー留学生シェーンくんへのインタビュー

    異文化交流の大切さを感じている高校生記者が、ミャンマーからの留学生シェーンにした質問の中から、異文化を強く感じたものをご紹介します。
  3. news20210622-studentreporter01

    【高校生記者レポート】タイ留学生スカイくんへのインタビュー

    タイからの留学生スカイくんは、アニメや漫画を見て日本に興味を持ち、日本の四季を魅力に感じたそうです。高校生記者が小城高校での生活についてや日本のお正月についてインタビューしました。
Other news and activities

Frequently Asked Questions

AFS Japan has been appointed by the national Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to run the Asia Kakehashi project, to facilitate intercultural exchange and understanding between teenagers in Japan and 22 other Asian countries and regions. This government-sponsored program provides full scholarships for Asian high school students to study in Japan’s public high schools. Together with thousands of their Japanese peers, these students will develop greater global competence and understanding of each other’s countries.

Find organizations for your country/region …

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan:

AFS India → https://india.afs.org/

Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore:

AFS Malaysia →https://www.afsmas.org/study-abroad/#afs-nav-asia-kakehashi-project-japan

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam:

AFS Thailand →http://www.afsthailand.org/programs/asia-kakehashi-2020/

China:

AFS China → https://china.afs.org/

Hong Kong:

AFS Hong Kong→https://www.afs.hk

Indonesia

AFS Indonesia → https://afsindonesia.org/about-afs/scholarships/

Philippines

AFS Philippines → https://www.afs.ph/kakehashi/

Turkey:

AFS Turkey → https://www.turkkulturvakfi.org.tr/

Republic of Korea:

Intercultural Network Korea (INKOR) → http://www.inkor.or.kr/kakehashi-project/index.html

Mongolia:

AFS Mongolia (former ARAM)→http://www.afs.mn/kakehashi

Myanmar:

Myanmar Association of Japan Alumni (MAJA) → https://ascoja-maja.org.mm/

Sri Lanka:

SPUTNIK International Sri Lanka Organization (SISLO) → http://www.sputnik.lk

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Page In Japanese
文部科学省補助事業　アジア高校生架け橋プロジェクト