The program consists of two types of courses: courses in Japanese language and courses in Japanese linguistics, culture and society.

Objectives of the Program:

The objectives of this program are:

1. To improve students’ Japanese language proficiency to enable them to interact with Japanese speakers and conduct research in Japanese;
2. To acquire basic knowledge and methodologies for Japanese studies particularly relating to general Japanese and applied linguistics;
3. To gain a deeper understanding both of Japanese language and culture.

Program Length:

One year: October 2025 – Mid-August 2026

Half year (2025 Fall semester): October 2025 – Mid-February 2026

Half year (2026 Spring semester): April 2026 – Mid-August 2026

Number of Students Accepted:

One year: 40

Half year: 20*

*20 for each Fall and Spring semester courses

Conditions for Completion:

A certificate of completion will be given to students who satisfactorily earn 20 credits (10 credits for the half year program) or more throughout the period of the program.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Applicants must be a Japanese language and/or culture major enrolled in an undergraduate degree course at a university–wide agreement partners of Hokkaido University. First-year students are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants should have N3 (or higher) on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test or the equivalent or higher proficiency in Japanese at the time of application.
  Applications from students whose proficiency in Japanese does not meet the requirements will not be accepted. Any students who are found to be at the introductory level by the placement test which is conducted by Hokkaido University after arrival may not be able to complete the program.
• Applicants must possess a good academic record at university level.

*Please note that JLCSP uses the TAO (The Admissions Office) online application system. The access link for TAO will be individually sent to home institution’s exchange coordinator before the application period begins.

Application Deadline JLCSP 2025-2026 (Fall) Courses: February 7th, 2025 (JST) *Application deadline for Half-Year Course (2026 Spring Semester) is October 24, 2025. The application period for this course starts in October 2025. *Please note late application will not be accepted and our online application deadline cannot be extended. *To complete applications, all the application steps need to be completed by the deadline above.

Application Guidelines:

Read the guideline carefully before application.

Japanese Language and Culture Studies Program Application Guidelines

 

Application Steps:

Follow the steps below for the JLCSP application:

 

Step 1.

Applicants who have obtained approval to apply for JLCSP from their home university will submit the required documents listed below via TAO except 7) MEXT scholarship application form*.

*7) MEXT scholarship application form needs to be submitted via email. Please refer to the “Scholarship” section of this website for details.

Documents need to be uploaded by applicants (students): 1)  Application form for Japanese Language and Culture Studies Program students 2) Consent to Transfer and Process Personal Data (template in Japanese/English) *The personal information provided in this form will be collected and handled as described in “8. Privacy Policy ” in “Japanese Language and Culture Studies Program Application Guidelines” and “How We handle Your Personal Data“. 3)  Certificate of passing at least N3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test *Applicants who have not taken the JLPT must submit a Certificate of Japanese Language Proficiency issued by their supervisor. (template) 4)  Japanese language proficiency self-evaluation sheet (template) 5)  Digital photo data 6)  Study Plan in Hokkaido University (One-Year course template / Half-Year course template) 7) MEXT scholarship application form (only for One-Year Course applicants who wish to apply for this scholarship. Please refer to “Scholarship” section of this website for details.)

Step 2.

The home university’s exchange coordinator must submit the documents listed below via TAO.

Documents to be submitted by home university: 8)  Certificate of enrollment (template) 9)  Recommendation Letter to the President of Hokkaido University 10)  Official transcript of academic record

Step 3.

The applicant completes the application process by pressing “Complete my application” button on TAO.

For Half-Year course students: JASSO Scholarship:

The JASSO scholarship is available only for the Half-Year course applicants who meet the JASSO requirements. If you wish to apply for this scholarship, please apply through TAO during the application period.

Please note that the scholarship is highly competitive so that you cannot always be chosen as a grantee of the scholarship.

• Term of scholarship: from October 2025 to February 2026, April 2026 to August 2026
• Monthly stipend: ￥80,000 (expected amount)