JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027 in Japan (Fully Funded)

About the fellowship

The JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan — Standard Program is run by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and offers outstanding early-career researchers from around the world the chance to spend 12 to 24 months conducting collaborative research with leading research groups at Japanese universities and eligible research institutions, under the guidance of a Japanese host. It is open across an exceptionally broad range of fields — humanities, social sciences and natural sciences — and it is one of Japan’s major international postdoctoral research programmes.

The funding is generous and simple: a monthly maintenance allowance of ¥362,000, a settling-in allowance of ¥200,000, a round-trip air ticket under JSPS rules, overseas travel insurance, and access to a separate Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research for cooperative research expenses (applied for by the host researcher through their institution). For FY2027, JSPS scheduled two open-call recruitment rounds with about 120 fellowships in each. The first round closed on 28 August 2026; the second round closes on 23 April 2027 at 5:00 p.m. JST, with fellowships starting between 1 September and 30 November 2027.

Eligibility

• Be a citizen of a country having diplomatic relations with Japan (Taiwan and Palestine are treated as eligible). Japanese citizens and foreign permanent residents of Japan are not eligible.
• Hold a PhD obtained on or after 2 April 2021 — within six years of the award. Researchers who have not yet formally received the doctorate can be nominated if they are expected to receive it before the fellowship starts. Qualifying maternity and parental leave is deductible from the six-year period.
• Have arranged a research plan in advance with a Japanese host researcher at an eligible Japanese university or research institution.
• Work in any field — humanities, social sciences or natural sciences.

Benefits

• Monthly maintenance allowance: ¥362,000.
• Settling-in allowance: ¥200,000.
• Round-trip air ticket under JSPS rules.
• Overseas travel insurance.
• Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research for cooperative research expenses (host applies).
• Duration: 12–24 months, not divisible into multiple stays.
• Not paid if you already live in Japan before the start date: the airfare and settling-in allowance.

Documents to prepare

• An agreed research plan with your Japanese host researcher.
• A letter of acceptance from the host researcher / host institution.
• Your CV and list of publications.
• Doctoral degree certificate (or proof you will receive it before the fellowship starts — it does not need to accompany the initial application).
• A letter of recommendation from a referee who knows your research.
• The application form for the relevant route (open-call or nominating authority).
• Note: the host researcher submits the open-call application — confirm with your host which documents they need and their internal deadline.

How to apply

1. Find a Japanese host researcher at an eligible university or research institution (search researchmap and JSPS-Net) and agree a research plan with them.
2. Open-call route: your host researcher submits the completed application to JSPS by 23 April 2027, 5:00 p.m. JST — but meet your host institution’s earlier internal deadline first.
3. Nominating-authority route (where one exists): apply through your country’s authority instead — e.g. the British Academy for UK residents (humanities/social sciences, 2 December 2026), CNRS for France (9 November 2026), or the ASEAN short-term PA route (16 November 2026).
4. Do not submit parallel applications through multiple nominating authorities in the same fiscal year.
5. Results for the 2nd round come in early August 2027; fellowships start 1 September – 30 November 2027.

FAQs

Verified 27 Oct 2026: jspsusa.org/wp/fellowship/ (JSPS USA, official programme page) — Standard Program: 12–24 months, citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with Japan (Taiwan/Palestine treated as eligible), round-trip air ticket, maintenance allowance ¥362,000/month, settling-in allowance ¥200,000, overseas travel insurance, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (host applies); deadlines from host institution to JSPS: 1st 28 August 2026, 2nd 23 April 2027 (5 p.m. JST); OpportunitiesForYouth, opportunitiesforyouth.org/2026/09/13/jsps-fellowship-2027/ — FY2027 two open-call rounds, ~120 fellowships per round, 1st deadline 28 Aug 2026, 2nd 23 Apr 2027, start windows 1 Apr–30 Sep 2027 (1st) and 1 Sep–30 Nov 2027 (2nd), and the warning that "15 November 2026" does not appear in the official schedule; CareerAidHub — same schedule and eligibility (PhD on/after 2 April 2021, maternity/parental leave deductible, host internal deadlines earlier); jsps.org/latest_calls/fellowships/ (JSPS London, official) — FY2027 call for humanities/social sciences only, deadline 2 December 2026, UK residents via the British Academy; thebritishacademy.ac.uk — scheme opens 7 Oct 2026, deadline 2 Dec 2026 17:00 GMT, 12–24 months, ¥362,000/month, ¥200,000 settling-in, UK/Isle of Man/Channel Islands residents; international.cnrs.fr — JSPS Standard 2027 deadline 9 November 2026 (France/CNRS route), JSPS Short-term 2027 deadline 2 November 2026; AUN/ASEAN short-term PA 2027/2028 — deadline 16 November 2026, 1–12 months, start 1 July 2027–31 March 2028; Bright Scholarship (queue URL) — corroboration. CONFLICTS: the "120" in the queue title is the per-round figure (~120 per round, two rounds), not the annual total — stated as such. The "15 November 2026" date on some aggregators is not the official open-call deadline — flagged in the article.