Keizai Koho Center Teacher Fellowship 

The 2023 KKC Teacher Fellowship will be held in-person unless the Covid-19 situation changes drastically by the end of March, 2023.  

Keizai Koho Center (KKC), in cooperation with the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS), will offer the “KKC Study Tour to Japan 2023” for U.S. and Canadian social studies teachers.

Since 1980, more than 700 social studies teachers have taken part in the “KKC Study Tour to Japan”. The project aims to deepen participants’ understanding of Japan and contribute to international mutual understanding across the Pacific. Their experiences and findings in Japan have significant value to their students, who will build future ties with Japan.   

Dates of the Program

June 19 (Mon) -June 27 (Tue), 2023 (Tentative)  

Primarily in Tokyo, the itinerary will be developed to provide vivid and enjoyable experiences with participants, which include:  

• Visits to Japanese schools to interact with students and teachers,
• Meetings with scholars and experts on Japanese society and its education system,
• Visits to major Japanese companies and meetings with senior company executives,
• Home stay with a Japanese family, and
• Cultural and fun events.   

Costs covered by KKC 

KKC provides round trip air transportation from the participants’ home city to Tokyo, as well as accommodations, ground transportation and meals associated with the program.  

Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants must:  

• Have skills and experience in developing curriculum and a strong interest in Japan,
• Have never lived in Japan nor visited Japan on a similar study tour,
• Be middle or high school classroom teachers of Economics, Social Studies, Geography or History (grades 6-12).

Requirements  

To participate in the Study Tour, applicants are required to agree to:  

• Make a presentation and contribute to discussions at a symposium organized as part of the program.
• Submit a lesson plan on contemporary Japan for their own classroom to KKC by Oct. 31, 2023. 
• Submit a final report to KKC by January 10, 2024, which describes how experiences and findings on the tour are used in the classroom and other occasions. Relevant copies of any school newspaper/magazine articles are appreciated.
•  Consent that the lesson plans and the final reports become the property of KKC to be posted to its website for use by other school teachers.

(Additional Requirements for In-Person Program)  

• Understand that the demands of the itinerary are such that only individuals physically able to travel without special assistance should consider the participation, special diets cannot be provided and various restrictions related to COVID-19 might be necessary.
•  Understand there will be no provisions for spouses to accompany fellows due to the nature of the program and logistical requirement.

How to Apply  

Applications must include all required documents and be submitted no later than March 1, 2023 to the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania (JASP), the North American representative of the KKC Study Tour. Incomplete applications will not be considered.  

Required Documents (Electronic copies required)  

1. Resume: A list of your current academic position, educational achievements, and professional activities. Provide details regarding previous curriculum and/or staff development experiences.
2. Project Proposal: A 1-2 page narrative describing your interest in Japan and plan to use the program to develop specific curriculum materials and/or educational activities for use in classroom teaching on contemporary Japan. Quality and originality are key elements in the selection process. Please provide a timeline of the project-related activities to be scheduled from September 2023 - June 2024. You are encouraged to disseminate information to audiences beyond individual schools such as district-wide teacher resource centers, community or professional organizations. Local Japan-America Societies may be of assistance for community-wide dissemination efforts (www.us-japan.org).
3. Letter of Employment: A letter from your employer, which attests to your full time professional (or sabbatical leave) status for the 2023-2024 school year.
4. Letters of Recommendation: Two letters to support for applicants' participation in the tour from administrators and/or key individuals. Letters may be mailed separately to the JASP. 

After gathering all above documents electronically, please visit 2023 Online Application to apply for the KKC Study Tour by the aforementioned deadline.  

A special committee will select and notify each fellow in writing on March 31, 2023. Submitted application documents become the property of the KKC and cannot be returned.

Click here to download the 2023 brochure 

Frequently Asked Questions  

Q: Is there any free time for my own research in Japan?

A: No. Basically the program runs from morning to evening almost everyday.  

Q: Will meals be supplied?

A: Keizai Koho Center (KKC) arranges accommodation with breakfast. KKC covers most lunches required by the program. When KKC does not arrange lunch and/or dinner, you will be requested to pay for the meals.  

Q: Any out-of-pocket expenses?  

A: Shopping and any side trips (if and when you have time) are out-of-pocket.  

Q: May I bring my spouse or partner?  

A: No.  

Q: How many letters of recommendation should I submit?

A: Two letters of recommendation are required.  

 Q: Can I have a student or a parent write a letter of recommendation?

A: Since it is an academic fellowship it is best to have someone that you have worked with or for in the education field.  

Q: Is there a word/page limit for the project proposal narrative?

A: There is no set limit but on average, the proposals we have received have been between 1-2 pages.  

Q: Is there a file size limit when I submit my application?

A: The total size should not exceed 3MB.  

Q: What is the best method to send the letter of recommendation?

A: Our preferred method is uploading a scanned letters to the online application.  

To learn more about the fellowship, please visit the Keizai Koho Center website. 

Lesson Plans

Please visit the Keizai Koho Center website to get Lesson Plans.