Sakura Science Exchange Program invites aspiring youth for a short period of time and promotes the exchange in the field of science and technology.
Individual application cannot be accepted. Overseas and Japanese organizations jointly plan the program, and the Japanese organization sends applications to JST within the designated period.
Application Calendar (Updated on Jan 15)
Course A, B, C
The application period for FY2025 has been closed.
Course D: Annual Mutual Exchange Course
The application period for FY2025 has been closed.
Application Guidelines (English) and Application Forms (Japanese) will also be updated to the latest versions around February 2026.
You can check the 2025 version for reference below.
Eligibility Criteria for the program
1. Countries or regions for invitation
Basically, all countries and regions are eligible for invitation.
Countries and regions which are eligible for the program are shown in Attachment 1.
※Course D: India and African countries
2. Requirements for invitees
The invitee must meet the following requirements when coming to Japan.
- Affiliation / Age
(i) High school students, Technical college students
(※Course D: High school students are not applicable)(ii) University students, Graduate students, Postdoctoral fellows, Faculty members, and persons who are engaged in work related to science and technology at public institutions and are below 40 years old.
- Experience of staying Japan
(i) For high school and technical college students, invitation through the Sakura Science Program must be their first stay in Japan. Those who have visited Japan only for short-term sightseeing (up to 10 days) or stayed only in their childhood (up to 12 years old) are still eligible.
(ii) For university students or others, invitation through the Sakura Science Program must be their first stay Japan after entering university. Those who have visited Japan only for short-term sightseeing (up to 10 days) are still eligible.
(※This requirement does not apply to the Course D)