The JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan is the flagship route by which the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) brings researchers based outside Japan into a Japanese host institution for a period of collaborative research under a Japan-based host researcher. It is a personal fellowship for the individual researcher, not a project grant — a different kind of instrument from JSPS’s flagship KAKENHI (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research) program, which is a competitive research grant that is, in practice, largely restricted to researchers already affiliated with a Japanese institution. This guide covers the program’s eligibility, its Standard and Short-term tracks, stipend and benefits, and how the application and host-nomination process works.
This program is not the same as JSPS’s domestic Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (the PD/DC1/DC2 tracks), which serves a different population — primarily researchers already enrolled in or affiliated with a Japanese doctoral program or institution — under separate eligibility rules. If that describes your situation, that domestic program, not the one covered here, is the relevant one to check on JSPS’s site.
What the fellowship is for
JSPS’s own overview describes the program as supporting pre- and postdoctoral researchers from overseas to conduct research at a Japanese host institution under the guidance of a Japanese host researcher who acts as the fellow’s mentor and sponsor for the duration of the stay. Unlike an open competitive grant, an applicant cannot apply without first identifying a host researcher willing to accept them — the host relationship is the structural core of the program, and the application itself is built around it.
JSPS runs this program at three distinct scopes, distinguished mainly by eligible nationality and duration:
- Standard — the broadest track by nationality, open to researchers from most countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Japan.
- Short-term (PE) — a shorter track specifically for researchers who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States, Canada, European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, or Russia.
- Short-term (PA) — structured similarly to Short-term (PE) but for researchers from ASEAN member states and Africa, with its own eligible-country list and application channel.
Program terms, eligible-country lists, and application channels are reviewed periodically by JSPS, so applicants should confirm current terms on JSPS’s own Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan pages before starting an application, rather than relying on a prior cycle’s rules.
Standard vs. Short-term: how the tracks differ
| Track | Who it’s for | Duration | Monthly stipend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with Japan (Japanese citizens and permanent residents are not eligible) | 12 to 24 months | JPY 362,000 |
| Short-term (PE) | Citizens/permanent residents of the US, Canada, EU member states, UK, Switzerland, Norway, or Russia | 1 to 12 months | JPY 362,000 (PhD already obtained) or JPY 200,000 (PhD not yet obtained at start) |
| Short-term (PA) | Researchers from ASEAN member states and Africa (own eligible-country list) | Comparable short-term structure to PE; confirm current terms on JSPS’s Short-term (PA) page | Confirm current terms on JSPS’s Short-term (PA) page |
Career-stage eligibility window
Both the Standard and Short-term (PE) tracks require the applicant to hold a doctoral degree obtained within six years of the relevant reference date — for Standard, six years before the date the fellowship goes into effect; for Short-term (PE), six years measured as of April 1 of the fiscal year of application. As with many postdoctoral eligibility windows elsewhere, periods of maternity or parental leave can extend this window rather than count against it — applicants in that situation should confirm the current calculation method directly with JSPS or their host institution’s international office, since the exact mechanics are set out in the program’s application guidelines rather than the overview pages.
The host researcher requirement
Every application is built around a named host researcher in Japan, and JSPS sets requirements on that host as well as on the fellow:
- The host researcher must be affiliated with a MEXT-designated research institution in Japan.
- The host must be eligible to apply for KAKENHI grants in their own right — a proxy for being an active, institutionally recognized principal investigator.
- Full-time employment at the host institution is preferred, though part-time appointments can be acceptable if the institution approves.
- A single host researcher may put forward a maximum of three fellowship nominations in a given cycle.
Because the host relationship has to exist before an application can be submitted, the practical first step for most overseas applicants is not filling out a JSPS form — it’s identifying and securing agreement from a Japan-based researcher willing to host them, well ahead of any deadline.
Two application routes
JSPS accepts applications through two channels, and which one applies depends on how the applicant and host connect:
- Open Call — the application is submitted by the host institution directly to JSPS.
- Nomination — the application is submitted through an Overseas Nominating Authority: a partner academy, research council, or university in the applicant’s home country that holds a standing agreement with JSPS. In this route, the home-country partner body’s own call and internal deadline are usually the practical starting point, ahead of JSPS’s own deadline.
Applicants should check whether a nominating authority exists in their home country before assuming the Open Call route is their only option, since the nomination route can carry different internal deadlines and documentation requirements.
Stipend and benefits
Financial support is broadly consistent across tracks, with the differences noted above for Short-term (PE) fellows who have not yet obtained a doctorate. As of the program’s most recently published terms, JSPS provides:
- Monthly stipend: JPY 362,000 for PhD-holding fellows on either track; JPY 200,000 for Short-term (PE) fellows who have not yet obtained their doctorate at the start of the fellowship.
- Settling-in allowance: JPY 200,000. On the Standard track this is not paid to candidates already residing in Japan before the fellowship start date. On Short-term (PE), it is paid only to fellows with a tenure of three months or more, and likewise withheld from those already in Japan.
- Round-trip international airfare, arranged according to JSPS’s own travel regulations.
- Overseas travel insurance covering the fellowship period.
These figures are set by JSPS and reviewed periodically; treat them as current-best-known rather than permanently fixed, and confirm the live figures on JSPS’s program pages before budgeting around them, particularly for multi-year planning.
Application timeline
Exact deadlines shift from year to year and by track, so this section describes the general shape of the cycle rather than specific dates to plan around:
- The Standard program typically runs two recruitment rounds per year, roughly six months apart, each with its own application deadline and its own later notification date.
- The Short-term (PE) program has run three application periods a year since 2019, giving applicants more frequent entry points for shorter stays.
- Notification generally follows the deadline by several months in each cycle, with the exact review and results timeline published alongside each round’s call rather than fixed in advance.
Because both the route (Open Call vs. Nomination) and the current recruitment calendar affect which deadline actually applies to a given applicant, the reliable source for current-cycle dates is JSPS’s own application guidelines page, or the applicant’s prospective host institution’s international affairs office, rather than a general guide like this one.
After the fellowship: what changes once you’re affiliated in Japan
Once a postdoctoral fellow is formally affiliated with a Japanese host institution, some KAKENHI categories that are otherwise largely closed to researchers based outside Japan become accessible, since KAKENHI eligibility is generally tied to institutional affiliation rather than nationality — see the KAKENHI guide for how that program’s categories and eligibility work. Fellows whose research interests or eligibility don’t fit the postdoctoral tracks covered here may also want to review JSPS’s other international programs — Invitational Fellowships for more senior researchers, and the shorter Summer Program — covered in the broader JSPS funding overview guide.
Comparable postdoctoral fellowships elsewhere
Researchers weighing Japan against other destinations may find it useful to compare against equivalent national or multinational postdoctoral schemes: the EU’s MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship, the US’s NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the landscape guides covering postdoctoral fellowships in the UK and postdoctoral fellowships in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a host researcher before I apply?
Yes. The application is built around a named host researcher at a MEXT-designated Japanese institution who agrees to host and mentor you; identifying and securing that agreement is a prerequisite step, not part of the review process itself.
What’s the actual difference between the Standard and Short-term tracks?
Standard is open to a broader range of nationalities and runs 12 to 24 months. Short-term (PE) is restricted to citizens/permanent residents of a defined set of countries (US, Canada, EU member states, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Russia) and runs 1 to 12 months, with a separate Short-term (PA) track for ASEAN and Africa. Short-term stipends are lower for fellows who have not yet obtained their PhD at the start of the fellowship; Standard stipends are not.
How much does the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship pay?
The published monthly stipend is JPY 362,000 for PhD-holding fellows on either track, plus a JPY 200,000 settling-in allowance (with conditions), round-trip airfare, and overseas travel insurance. Confirm current figures on JSPS’s own pages, since these are reviewed periodically.
Can I apply for KAKENHI as a JSPS postdoctoral fellow?
Institutional affiliation in Japan, which a postdoctoral fellowship provides, is generally what opens up KAKENHI eligibility for categories otherwise closed to researchers based outside Japan — see the KAKENHI guide for details on categories and eligibility.
Is this the same program as JSPS’s DC1/DC2/PD fellowships?
No. Those are JSPS’s domestic Research Fellowship for Young Scientists tracks, aimed primarily at researchers already enrolled in or affiliated with a Japanese doctoral program or institution, with separate eligibility rules from the overseas-researcher program covered on this page.
