Deadline: October 1, 2026
Call for Applications
The Abe Fellows Network of the Social Science Research Council and the Japan Foundation New York announces the SSRC-JFNY Japan Global Workshop. The workshop supports research explicitly focused on policy-relevant and contemporary issues with a comparative or transnational perspective that can benefit from inquiry into Japan. PhD candidates, or researchers and journalists within ten years of their last degree, are eligible to apply if residing in North America.
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to explore their own research in dialogue with that of their peer participants and workshop facilitators as well as to discuss theoretical and/or methodological approaches. Although applicant projects do not need to be focused on Japan, applicants should be interested in exploring their research topic in conversation with Japan as a “a country on the frontlines” or “harbinger state” and as a comparative or alternate lens/platform. In addition, participants will learn about professional development opportunities and discuss research dissemination including best practices in social media and other approaches to engaging with public/policy audiences.
The workshop will be held from February 2-5, 2027 at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. The workshop will begin with the evening of Tuesday, February 2, with a welcome dinner, and run for two full days. Participants will depart on Friday, February 5.
Workshop Focus
Why study Japan? Understanding and engaging with Japan remains as important as ever. Studying Japan can inform both scholars and policymakers about common social and political challenges as well as issues that other countries are likely to confront in the future. Scholarship on Japan offers a critical opportunity to develop theoretical insights, assess empirical evidence, and offer policy lessons about shared challenges and the political contestation surrounding them.
From Japan’s postwar economic growth, the financial crisis of the 1990s, and deflationary stagnation, Japan has served as both a fruitful and cautionary model to the rest of the world. As an aging society with ongoing hesitancy around marriage and childbirth, Japanese society has been navigating the impacts of demographic change on healthcare, social security, and labor systems. The labor market has changed rapidly since the peak of sarariiman (salaried worker) employment in the 1990s to be more inclusive of not only women, but also foreign labor, even as challenges remain for women and both high- and low-skilled foreign labor in the workforce and in society. In the healthcare industry, technological advances help ameliorate the issues of a shrinking labor market and have led to a greater inclusion of care robots than in any other country. A number of societal trends, including youth disengagement, disconnection, and greater isolation among the elderly, have also emerged elsewhere. Japan’s ongoing approach and response to climate change, rural depopulation, and other global issues are also potentially instructive. Additional topics of interest might include social and environmental impacts of climate change; disaster preparedness, resilience, and recovery as well as retrofitting aging infrastructure; food security, agricultural policy, and changes to farming practices. Studying Japan’s engagement with and approach to these and other issues, particularly in comparative context, can yield theoretical insights and empirical evidence related to global issues of general interest.
Workshop Facilitators
Facilitators will be announced as information becomes available.
Eligible applicants will be:
• based in North America
• PhD candidates
• or conducting active research (in academia or another sector) or reporting (on staff or freelance) in their career and within ten years of their last degree.
Applications must be submitted online and include the following sections:
• Application form
• Short statement of interest in the workshop
• Five-page project proposal or synopsis and a one-page bibliography
• CV
The SSRC will cover the cost of economy airfare, three nights’ accommodation, and all meals during the workshop. Meals in transit and airport transportation will be reimbursed based on receipts.
While additional monetary support is not available, applicants needing assistance with the caregiving of young children during the workshop should reach out to the SSRC.
Any questions regarding the workshop should be directed to japan@ssrc.org.
Grant Snapshot
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the Japan Foundation New York (JFNY) invite applications to participate in the SSRC-JFNY Japan Global Workshop to be held in Claremont, California February 2-5, 2027.
The workshop is open to applicants based in North America who are PhD candidates or are within ten years of their last degree and conduct active research (in academia or another sector) or reporting (on staff or freelance) in their careers.
Event Date:
February 2-5, 2027
Deadline:
Wednesday, October 1, 2026, 11:59 Eastern Time (US)
Contact:
japan@ssrc.org