To provide opportunities for pre-/post-doctoral researchers from the  ASEAN member countries and African countries to conduct cooperative research under the guidance of their hosts cooperative research with leading research groups in universities and other Japanese institutions. 
This program is intended to help advance the overseas researchers’ research activities while advancing science and promoting internationalization in Japan.

All fields of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences are included under this program.

1 to 12 months

(1)Be a citizen or permanent resident of an eligible country stipulated in the below 1*. Also eligible are persons who have been engaged in research continuously over a period of at least three years** at a university or research institution in one of the eligible countries. They must be from a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan or from Taiwan or Palestine, have conducted research continuously for three or more years before the application deadline set by nominating authority, and must possess an excellent research record.
1*Eligible countries are ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam) and African countries (Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Cabo Verde, Republic of Seychelles, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) .

(2) Have obtained their doctoral degree at a university outside Japan within six years*** of the date the fellowship goes into effect, or currently be enrolled in a doctoral course at a university outside Japan, and scheduled to receive a Ph.D. within two years from the time that their research starts in Japan. Whether or not the candidate is employed in a full-time position is not considered.

Note 1: Persons who have previously been awarded and started a fellowship under the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan ([Standard (P)], [Short-term (PE)] , [Short-term (PA)] and [Pathway to University positions in Japan (PU)]) are not eligible. This Short-term (PA) Fellowship is only awarded once per researcher.

Note 2: Persons who possess resident cards with mailing addresses in Japan at the application deadline set by nominating authority are not eligible.

Note 3: A Japanese citizen who is also a permanent resident of the country stipulated in the above 1*  is not eligible.

Note 4: ** Researchers who have continuously carried out their research for three or more years minus time taken for maternity and/or parental leave. (Every four weeks of leave is counted as one month, with any remaining weeks also counted as one month. These months are subtracted from number of years that the researcher has continuously carried out their research.)

Note 5: *** Researchers who obtained their Ph.D. within six years minus time taken for maternity and/or parental leave. (Every four weeks of leave is counted as one month, with any remaining weeks also counted as one month. These months are subtracted from the number of years elapsed since the researcher’s Ph.D. was received.) 

Note 6: If it becomes known after being selected that a candidate does not possess application eligibility, their selection may be cancelled or eligibility terminated during the fellowship period. In such cases, the candidate may be required to reimburse JSPS their already-paid allowances.

Host researchers are required to satisfy the following two conditions at the time of application, at the time of selection and during the fellowship period.
(1)  Be affiliated with a research institution as specified in Article 2(*) of the Procedure for the Handling of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), be eligible to apply for a KAKENHI grant–in-aid   , and wish to host an overseas researcher.
(2)  Be a full-time researcher. However, researchers who are not employed full time may be eligible if the host institutions judge them able to execute their responsibility to carrying out the program uninterruptedly throughout the fellow’s tenure including providing them a suitable research environment (e.g., laboratory, space, facilities and personnel), in the same way that a full-time researchers would be able to do.

*Eligible host institutions specified under the above MEXT Procedure are as follows:
1) Universities and inter-university research institutes
2) MEXT-affiliated institutions engaged in research
3) Colleges of technology
4) Institutions designated by the Minister of MEXT

A fellow’s host researcher may not be changed during the fellowship tenure. Therefore, if it is known at the time of application that the host researcher will retire, due to reaching retirement age or other reason, during a candidate’s fellowship tenure, - they should not be a host researcher.

The amounts of financial support are scheduled to be as follows. They are subject to change for budgetary 
reasons.

(1) Airfare
A round-trip air ticket (based on JSPS’s regulations. See the “Program Guidelines”.)

(2) Maintenance Allowance
(a) For Ph.D. holders by the time the fellowship starts in Japan: ¥362,000 per month
(b) For non-Ph.D. holders by the time the fellowship starts in Japan: ¥200,000 per month

(3) Miscellaneous
A settling-in allowance of ¥200,000 (only applicable for Fellows with 3 or more months of tenure), Overseas travel insurance

Note 1: The monthly allowance of ¥362,000 shall be paid to the fellows who have submitted their Ph.D. diploma or doctoral degree certificate before the starting date of their fellowship. If none of the aforementioned documents are submitted, the monthly allowance shall be ¥200,000.
In the event that a Ph.D. diploma or doctoral degree certificate is submitted after the starting date of the fellowship, the amount of the monthly allowance will be increased for the first payment from the following month after the date of submission of the documents to JSPS. However, the amount already paid will not be increased retroactively.
Note 2: For candidates who have been staying in Japan (and have a mailing address) before the fellowship starting date, the “airfare” for the flight to Japan and the “settling-in allowance” will not be paid. 
Note 3: A “research support allowance” is available to cover cooperative research-related expenses (in an amount of up to ¥70,000 x number of months of tenure.) Application is made by the host researcher through their institution.