Special Joint Research Fellow
Special Joint Research Fellow
The National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics (NINJAL) offers research guidance to graduate students enrolled in universities in Japan or abroad who specialize in Japanese language studies (including Japanese language education) or related fields. Graduate students who wish to receive research guidance should first consider the research fields of our full-time academic staff, select a prospective host, and obtain their preliminary consent. After consultation with their current university supervisor, students should apply as outlined below.
Categories
Special Joint Research Fellows are divided into two categories.
- Long-term
- Applicants are recruited according to the Guidelines for Acceptance of Long-Term Special Joint Research Fellows (currently not accepting applications).
In principle, the period of acceptance is one year, with a starting date in either April or October.
- Short-term
- Applicants must have a letter of request / recommendation from the head of their current institution (e.g., dean or department head).
The period of acceptance is less than one year and can begin at any time. However, students enrolled in a master’s program at a Japanese university may not exceed a total stay of one year.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit the following documents to the Director-General of NINJAL at least two months before the desired start date (three months in advance if a Japanese visa is required).
- Long term
- A letter of request from the head of the applicant’s institution (Form 1), a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s academic advisor (Form 2), Curriculum Vitae and List of Research Achievements (Form 3), and Preliminary Consent Form signed by the NINJAL host researcher (Form 4)
- Japanese format Word
- Certificate of Enrollment and Academic Transcript from the applicant’s university
Use of Facilities
Special Joint Research Fellows may use NINJAL’s facilities, equipment, and library resources with permission from the respective supervisors.
Contact and Submission Address
Research Promotion Division, Administration Department,
National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics
(10-2 Midoricho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8561, Japan)
E-mail: suishinka[at]ninjal.ac.jp (Replace [at] with @.)
Special Joint Research Fellows during This Fiscal Year
* Including those who continued from the previous fiscal year and those whose period of residence has been completed during this fiscal year.
WANG Jiabao
Queen's University Belfast
Research Topic: Quantifying Lexical Evolution Under Structural Uncertainty: A Multidimensional Decomposition Approach to Japanese Lexical Change
Host Researcher: MATSUSHITA Tatsuhiko
Period of Residence: April 1, 2026 – October 25, 2026
Tim Jantarungsee
University College London
Research Topic: Modal Expressions in Yaeyaman
Host Researcher: YAMADA Masahiro
Period of Residence: January 1, 2026 – June 30, 2026
ZHANG Ruili
Heilongjiang University
Research Topic: 相互行為における日本語の価値判断反語表現に関する研究
Host Researcher: ISHIGURO Kei
Period of Residence: October 26, 2025 - October 25, 2026
