What's On

The Finals Day of the Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK (JaLaChamp) will be held on Saturday 20^th June 2026, at the Hall of Japan House London.

JaLaChamp is a contest for primary and secondary students studying Japanese in the United Kingdom, and this is the fourth time for the contest to be held. There will be two sessions: Part 1: Primary School Video Category in the morning, and Part 2: Secondary School Speech as well as Video Categories (1&2) in the afternoon.

In Part 1, there will be a premiere for short videos created by primary school-level students using Japanese (there will be English subtitles). There will be a special session targeting primary school level participants which will be followed by the award ceremony for primary school-level finalists.

In Part 2, Speech Category finalists will give speeches in front of a large audience consists of the panel of judges, teachers, fellow students and their families, on a variety of topics, entirely in Japanese. Speeches will be followed by the screening of short videos made by secondary school-level students using Japanese (there will be English subtitles). There will be an award ceremony for secondary school-level finalists at the end of the day.

This year, for during Part 2 of the Finals Day, we are delighted to welcome Mr James Medes, a university student from the UK and the YouTuber behind the channel “James’ Tea Time”, where he shares insights into British culture and his experiences during his year abroad in Japan – all in Japanese. Mr Medes will talk about his journey of learning Japanese.

We would like to invite the friends and families of finalists and school pupils,  as well as young children who study or are interested in studying Japanese, to attend finals day. The event is free but prior registration is required for security purposes.

Therefore, we request that everyone book a seat in advance (Please note that there are separate registrations required for Part 1 and 2. If you wish to attend both, please register for both.) 

Title: Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK 2026, Finals Day

Date & Time: Saturday, 20^th June 2026   Part 1: 11am – 12:30pm/ Part 2: 2pm – 5pm (TBC)

Event Schedule (TBC):

Part 1: Primary School Video Category (morning session)

Doors open at 10:40am. Programme starts at 11:00am and finishes at 12:20pm.

Registration form for PART 1 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/YcVL6QtvjR

Part 2: Secondary School Speech Category and Video Category Finals (afternoon session)

Doors open at 13:40pm. Programme starts at 14:00pm and finishes at 16:45pm.

Registration form for PART 2 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/Ck7WhX2PzC

Venue: The Hall of Japan House London (101-111 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA)

Language: Speeches will be given in Japanese but speech summaries will be made available in English. Student videos have English subtitles.

If your schedule has changed and you are unable to attend, we would appreciate it if you could cancel the seat by emailing us at speechcontest@jpf.go.jp, as spaces are limited. Young participants under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by an adult.

Enquiries: speechcontest@jpf.go.jp

Organiser: The Japan Foundation, London

This event is generously supported by (in alphabetical order): Calbee Group (UK) Ltd., E’quipe Japan, Ltd., The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Japan Centre, The Japan Society, JP BOOKS, Lingualift, Pentel (Stationery) Ltd., Mizkan Euro Ltd., Ricoh UK Limited

This event is a contest for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese in the United Kingdom. The aim is to encourage the students to use their Japanese and present one’s thoughts, views, ideas and messages.

SOLD OUT!

The Japan Foundation, in partnership with The Garden Cinema, is proud to present an exclusive London screening of MORITA Yoshimitsu’s (Like Asura, screened as part of the JFTFP26) critically acclaimed The Family Game, as part of The Garden Cinema’s Select Japan series.

What seems like a typical lower-middle-class Japanese household begins to unravel when the parents hire a wildly unconventional tutor to help their struggling son prepare for his high school entrance exams. As he becomes increasingly entangled in their lives, he doesn’t just tackle homework; he gleefully upends the family’s carefully maintained façade, exposing all the cracks beneath. A sharp, mischievous satire that put MORITA on the map, this is one you won’t want to miss!

This screening marks the UK premiere of the new digital restoration and will be introduced by Tony Rayns.

I Spring 2026 Applications Now OPEN!

Institutions can apply for up to £2500 for non-profit-making projects or activities which promote Japanese language education in the UK. Please see the attached documents at the bottom of this page for more detailed information.

We prioritise projects that fit into one of the four following categories:

• Category 1 - Newly Introducing Japanese into the curriculum

Up to £2,500 for projects that promote the introduction of Japanese into the curriculum (or onto the main school timetable) at primary and secondary schools. This grant covers staff costs and the cost of Japanese language books. Projects may take place online or offline.

• Category 2 - Supporting GCSE or A-level courses

Up to £2,500 for projects that support GCSE or A-level courses. Particularly, if schools/organisations require support to ensure a large number of candidates are able to take formal qualifications in Japanese, they will be able to maintain their project by re-applying the following year. This means organisations will be able to apply for up to a total of £6,000 over two years. (Please note that we do not supplement the salary of teacher(s) already hired by the applying organisation.) Covers staff costs and costs of Japanese language books. Projects may take place online or offline.

• Category 3 – New Japanese clubs

Up to £2,000 for organisations that newly introduce Japanese as an extracurricular activity or enrichment subject. In the case of schools, this is even if this is not within the school timetable. Covers staff cost, Japanese language book cost, some costs for items contributing to Japanese language learning, such as origami and calligraphy materials. Clubs may take place online or offline.

• Category 4 - Projects that enable links between primary/secondary institutions and institutions of higher education

Up to £2,500 for projects that strengthen connections between secondary institutions and institutions of higher education and create and/or strengthen networks among pupils, students, and teachers for the purpose of helping to promote Japanese language education in the UK. These projects can be aimed at both potential learners of Japanese and people who already are learning Japanese. This is a recently added category, so please contact us if you have any questions or would like to apply but are unsure as to whether your project is suitable. These projects may take place online or offline.

Application deadline: 9^th June 2026, 23:59 (Tuesday)

General Information document

LPSP 2026-2027 Grant Flowchart

Grant Application Form (Spring 2026)

We would be grateful if you could read the General Information document and the Grant Flowchart document before submitting an application.

If you have any questions, please contact info.language@jpf.go.jp

Please also refer to the “General Information” document above for detailed answers to many frequently asked questions.

Related Event! 

Click here to find out about our seminar for potential applications for the Local Project Support Programme!

Date:	14 May 2026 - 9 June 2026
Download LPSP General Information Spring 2026-2027
Download LPSP Flowchart Spring 2026-2027
Download LPSP Application Form Spring 26

今回のテーマは、言語学習ビリーフ。講師には、元国際交流基金日本語国際センター専門員の久保田美子先生をお招きします。また、翌週には、講師を交えて研修で学んだことをさらに深める「研修アフタートーク」も行います。奮ってご参加ください。 

The theme of this seminar is Language Learning Beliefs. We have invited as a speaker Dr KUBOTA Yoshiko, a former Language Advisor at The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa. We will also be holding a "Seminar After-Talk" event the following week, where teachers can further deepen their knowledge of what they learned at the seminar.

(The information below is in Japanese only)

You can find information on the programme as well as links to download an application form by clicking here

Are you considering applying for funding but aren’t sure about how to go about it? Do you have a project in mind but aren’t sure if it’s eligible? We would strongly recommend that you sign up to take part in our Online Seminar and Q&A session.

During this half-hour session, a member of our staff will talk participants through the application process, and then open the floor to questions and answers. We want to make sure the application process is as easy-to-understand as possible.

Date/Time:

27th May 2026 (Wednesday), 18:00 to 18:30

(Application Deadline: 26th May 2026, 23:59)

Attendance is free but booking is essential.

We will be using Zoom software. Once you have applied we will send you information on how to join the session.

This seminar will be held in English but the presenter is a bilingual Japanese-English speaker. Please use Japanese in this application form and at the Q&A if you would prefer.

Fill out the application form here

Japan Foundation London Grant Programme

(Japanese Studies & Intellectual Exchange) 2026-2027

This programme is designed to provide grant assistance to projects (e.g. lectures, workshops, conferences) in any discipline of the humanities and social sciences that have a significant Japan element, or involve collaboration with Japanese researchers/practitioners.

Projects must take place in the UK to be eligible for support and applications can only be accepted from not-for-profit organisations in the UK.

Priority:

Priority will be given to projects that fall under one or more of the following descriptions:

1. Projects that will bring together researchers/ practitioners from a variety of disciplines and sectors that are relevant to Japan

2. Projects organised by, and/or involving core participation by, early career researchers/ practitioners

3. Projects that will nurture diverse interests in Japan among future generations in the UK

Applications for preliminary project development will be considered as long as such projects include some of the above elements.

Grant coverage:

Only specific items such as travel expenses, honoraria, venue hire, printing/publicity costs etc. which are deemed to be essential in order to carry out the project.

Projects must take place between 1 September 2026 and early March 2027.

Successful applicants may be granted up to £1500. As successful applicants will not necessarily be granted the full requested amount, applicants are strongly encouraged to secure additional funding from their own organisation and elsewhere.

Application Deadline: 1 August 2026 (2nd call for applications)

If you are interested in applying to this grant, please read the complete Application Instructions PDF.

Once you have read the Application Instructions, please email the Japanese Studies team at LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp, and CC Iona_Vos@jpf.go.jp (Assistant Programme Officer for Japanese Studies) and Natsumi_Abe@jpf.go.jp (Manager of Japanese Studies Affairs)

Date:	2 March 2026 - 6 April 2026
Download Japan Foundation London Local Grant (Japanese Studies) Application Instructions (2nd call)

Do you think your Japanese level is getting rusty? Why not study Japanese online to brush up your Japanese level?

This course is for non-native-speaker-level Japanese teachers who currently teach Japanese in secondary and/or primary schools. You can improve not only your Japanese level but also your teaching skills. Moreover you can build a network among other Japanese teachers. Trainee teachers are also welcome to join. School teachers who are not currently teaching Japanese but wish to do so are also welcome. For more information, see below.

Eligibility (any one or more of the following):

• Non-native-speaker-level Japanese teachers who teach at secondary and/or primary schools, including teaching extra-curricular activites such as school clubs
• PGCE students who are aiming to become Japanese teachers
• SCITT trainees/candidates

Suitable Japanese Level

JLPT N3 or CEFR B1* (if you cannot assess your own level, please contact us.)

*This is an intermediate level course.

Schedule:

This course consists of Online Sessions and a face-to-face Final Day event. The online sessions will be held on Mondays on the dates below, followed by the Final Day event, which will be held for all level native speaking and non-native speaking Japanese teachers together.

Online sessions

• Time: 18:00-19:30 (90 min x 4 lessons)
• Date: 13th and 27th April, 11th and 25th May

In-Person Final Day Event :

• 11:00-15:00(TBC), 27th June (Saturday) or 4th July (Saturday)
• Networking event, workshop, presentation by Pearson Edexcel, and a lunch reception
• More detailed information will be given later. Teachers of all Japanese levels are welcome.

N.B. The course will take place online, but on the final day of the course we would like to hold a special face-to-face session, with special speakers. The Japan Foundation, London will provide lunch and cover your travel expense partly for the participants of the online sessions*.

* All participants are asked to pay up to £10 of their travel expenses out of their own pocket (no reimbursement). The rest of their travel expenses will be reimbursed by The Japan Foundation, London for amounts up to £100.00. If you need to travel the day before and stay overnight the night before the Final Day event, please consult us in advance.

• Course fee: Free (including all handouts)
• Registration Deadline: 6th April 2026
• Languages used: English/Japanese
• Resources: All handouts will be given during the lesson.
• This course may count as 10 hours of CPD (TBC)
• Course Objectives: To be able to teach GCSE-level confidently

Course Content:

• Week 1 (online): Introduction, Review of GCSE specification
• Week 2 (online): Review of Grammar and Kanji
• Week 3 (online): Review of Grammar and Kanji
• Week 4 (online): Review of Grammar and Kanji
• Final Day (face-to-face) : Workshop and resource sharing (TBC)

To register, please click here

• Further Enquiries: Ms Hiroko Tanaka
• Hiroko_Tanaka001@jpf.go.jp

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a test for non-native speakers of Japanese which evaluates and certifies their Japanese-Language proficiency. The test takes place twice a year (July and December) in Japan and various locations around the world. Currently, it is the largest Japanese language test in the world, with approximately 1.72 million people worldwide having registered for the JLPT in 2024.

The next July JLPT will take place on Sunday, 5^th July 2026. Registration will start at each test centre from early/ mid-March.  

The July exam will be held at three test sites in the UK: SOAS University of London, the University of Leicester and King’s College London. For application opening dates and registration details, please refer to each university’s website using the links below (Please note that the JLPT is very popular and registration at each test centre will close when the test centre has reached its maximum capacity.):

×             Japan Research Centre, SOAS University of London SOAS Applications have now closed

×             University of Leicester Applications at University of Leicester have closed

×             King’s College London Applications at King's College London have closed

Important Changes

1. Starting from 2025, examinees are not allowed to use mobile phones and other devices, including smartwatches and all camera and communication devices, until the end of the entire test, including during breaks. Examinees must turn OFF their devices until the test is completed. If the devices are turned ON during breaks, it will be considered misconduct and their test scores will be invalidated.

2. From July 2026, examinees who arrive after the set time that registration at the venue has finished will not be permitted to take the first test section. They will be permitted to enter the test room from the second test section. However, if examinees miss a section, they cannot pass the JLPT. Furthermore, since the December 2025 JLPT exams, the start time of the exam has been changed to an earlier time than previous years. Please check the new test schedule on your test centre’s website and on your test voucher, and make sure that you will be able to arrive at the venue on time for registration.

3. CEFR Levels have been added as reference information in JLPT score reports starting from the December 2025 JLPT. For details, please check here.

For more information about the test, please visit JLPT website.

Ø  Let’s Try Sample Questions! 

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is back again! This is a prestigious annual summer school programme.

In this summer school, pre-university students from Japan and the UK attend a series of university-style lectures on a wide range of subjects by academics from UCL, and engage in UCL Grand Challenge Workshop, which aims to investigate one of the social issues in the world and explore solutions to it through discussion between Japanese and UK-based participants. It is a great opportunity for young people interested in cultural exchange and in getting some unviersity experience.

2026 will be the 11th year of the programme. It will be held in three places in the UK:

Rikkyo School in England, West Sussex;

University of Cambridge, Cambridge;

and UCL, London.

Dates: Saturday 25 July – Sunday 2 August 2026 (9 days)*

Fee for UK-based participants: 800 GBP

*Not all dates are compulsory to attend.

For full details and to apply, please visit the official website here: https://www.ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com/join-us/

Dates: Thursday 26 - Friday 27 February 2026

Venue: The University of Sheffield

Registration for the 2026 iteration of the Japan Foundation/British Association for Japanese Studies PhD Workshop, "Navigating Your Future in Japanese Studies" is now open!

If you are a PhD student conducting research related to Japan, why not come along for our workshop which aims to support the ongoing development and future of Japanese Studies in the UK?

This time, we have decided to host the workshop over two days to allow more opportunity for insightful workshops and networking, enabling attendees to build valuable connections with Japanese Studies students and researchers across the UK.

We have listened to feedback from previous workshops and concerns of postgraduate students in Japanese Studies, and have decided to focus this workshop on how to navigate the changing landscape and job market in Japanese Studies.

Exact sessions at the workshop are yet to be finalised but the tentative timetable is below.

*Please note: We are still in the early planning stages and the following is subject to change*

Please note: attendees to the workshop must be able to attend both days.

Student Submissions:

As an essential part of the workhop, PhD and MA students will be asked to present their research in front of a small group of peers. Further information about this will be provided after the registration deadline has passed. However, if you have any questions please get in touch.

Financial Support: 

The following financial support is available to presenting attendees.

Travel Grant: JF will offer a partial travel grant for student participants. Once an initial 30 GBP is covered by the student, JF will provide up to a maximum of 90 GBP for public transportation to the event. For any questions, please contact Iona Vos using the contact emails at the bottom of this item.

Hotel Grant: BAJS will cover a one night stay up to a maximum of 90 GBP per attendee. If you have any questions about the hotel grant, please email BAJS Secretary Mara Patessio at mp78@soas.ac.uk.

Please note:

Attendance to this event is capped at 40 students on a first come, first served basis. As the number of participants is limited, please only register if you know you can attend both days of the workshop.

Current Ph.D. students will be prioritised. MA students will be placed on a waitlist, with places being confirmed after the deadline has passed.

If you have registered but can no longer attend, please contact us to cancel your place.

Contact

If you have any questions about the workshop, please email Iona Vos at LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp. Please CC Natsumi_Abe@jpf.go.jp (Manager for Japanese Studies) and Iona_Vos@jpf.go.jp (Assistant Programme Officer for Japanese Studies).

This webinar is intended for librarians, researchers, and other people outside of Japan who are engaged in Japanese studies. The goal of this webinar is to learn and improve basic skills for finding and using information related to research in Japanese studies.

The advancement of digital technology has encouraged Japanese studies outside of Japan and made it easier to obtain a wide range of information on premodern Japan, not just classical literature. Consequently, innovative and authentic research is in progress in the field of Japanese classical literature.
There is no denying that Japanese premodern books, wahon (和本), are the primary subjects or resources for conducting research in the field.

In this lecture focusing on wahon, Dr. Sasaki TAKAHIRO demonstrates the basic knowledge required when using a vast number of digital images for research, as well as methods and precautions for utilizing these images, providing specific examples.

Video available to watch on demand on YouTube. You must apply before watching the video.

Date: Video available between Monday 2 February to  Monday 2 March 2026.

Eligibility: 

1. Librarians or researchers outside of Japan who are engaged in Japanese Studies.
   * This includes students and others who have a professional interest in Japanese studies.
2. Librarians in Japan

Language: Japanese (no translation or interpretation)

Click here to apply to watch the video.

• Applicants will be sent an email containing URLs needed to watch the video and download the handout.
•  
• For Enquiries, please contact：
• Training and Exchange Section,
  Library Support Division,
  Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
  To contact us, please complete the Inquiry Form available on our website. Select 'Others', begin your message with 'Regarding Training Program,' and then provide the details of your inquiry.
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