Graduate University for Advanced Studies

Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) is one of the parent institutions of NIHU’s four humanities research institutes. It offers five graduate (postdoctoral) courses designed to take advantage of its resources and provides an array of specialized training for researchers.

● Department of Regional Studies (National Museum of Ethnology)
● Department of Comparative Studies (National Museum of Ethnology)
● Department of Japanese Studies (International Research Center for Japanese Studies)
● Department of Japanese History (National Museum of National History)
● Department of Japanese Literature (National Institute of Japanese Literature)

Special Inter-University Research Fellows

The six inter-university research institutes that make up the National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) contribute to the education and training of next generation researchers. One such initiative is accepting students specializing in the humanities at the post-graduate level (masters or doctorate) as special inter-university research fellows, at the request of national, public, and private universities, and providing guidance and supervision of these students.

These fellows are able to avail themselves of the member institutions’ research facilities and equipment, materials, literature, and other assets, with the permission of their supervisor, and receive guidance from researchers of their respective institutions.

The fellowships are offered for one year from April each year to March of the following year. For details, please direct your inquiries to the individual institutions.

Contributing to Universities and Graduate Education

Through agreements with universities, we contribute to the advancement of graduate education by providing placements for graduate students, research guidance, coordinating lecture subjects, and taking part in committees for awarding degrees (collaborative graduate programs).

The National Museum of Ethnology and the National Museum of Japanese History sponsor exhibitions to make their collections available to universities for use in lectures and training. The National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL) provides university faculty and graduate schools opportunities to hold "NIJL Seminars" at the institute. They are also given access to the institute’s extensive collection as lecture materials.

Collaborative Graduate Programs offered at Japanese Universities

● National Museum of Japanese History: Chiba University
● National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics: Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
● Research Institute for Humanity and Nature: Nagoya University

Joint Use and Collaborative Research

The vast libraries of NIHU’s institutes house a plethora of research resources and databases in their respective specialist fields. They contain information obtained from universities and other institutions nationwide, and from their own facilities. The materials are provided to Japanese and overseas research institutions for joint use and collaborative research. Through its lending program, universities and institutions can use these materials for seminars and researchers for their studies.