Stanford e-Japan

The application for the spring 2025 course is now open at https://spicestanford.smapply.io/prog/stanford_e-japan/. 
Final deadline to apply: December 31, 2024

Spring 2025 course dates: February 17 to June 30, 2025

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and SPICE’s other programs, join our email list and follow SPICE on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

The Stanford University Scholars Program for Japanese High School Students or “Stanford e-Japan” is a distance-learning course sponsored by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) with generous support from the Yanai Tadashi Foundation. First offered in Spring 2015, Stanford e-Japan enrolls exceptional high school students from Japan to engage in an intensive study of U.S. society and culture. The course underscores the importance of U.S.–Japan relations. Ambassadors, top scholars, and experts throughout the United States provide web-based lectures and engage students in live discussion sessions or “virtual classes.” The course is offered in English.

The web-based lectures include historical topics such as the importance of the U.S.–Japan relationship, contemporary topics such as Silicon Valley and entrepreneurship, high schools in the United States, and other topics of interest to Japanese students.

Accepted students will participate in approximately 10–12 “virtual classes” via the Internet. The “virtual classes” will be offered 3–4 times per month on Saturday afternoons (1 PM Japan time). Students should expect to allot 3–4 hours per week to complete the lectures, discussions, readings, and assignments. Since this is a distance-learning course, however, students will be able to structure most of the work around their individual schedules.

The course will culminate in an independent research project. Final research projects will be printed in journal format, and students will also be required to lead one presentation on U.S. society at their schools or in their local communities.

Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from SPICE, Stanford University. Although intensive, Stanford e-Japan will equip Japanese students with a rare degree of expertise about U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations that may have a significant impact on their choices of study and future careers. 

SPICE would like to acknowledge the following individuals (listed alphabetically) for their unwavering support of Stanford e-Japan from its conceptualization to its realization.

• Dr. Caroline Fern Benton, Vice President and Executive Director for Global Affairs, University of Tsukuba
• Mr. Satoshi Hattori, Executive Director, San Francisco Office, Waseda University
• Dr. Toshinori Ishikuma, Professor Emeritus, Former Vice President and Executive Superintendent for Education Bureau of the Laboratory Schools, University of Tsukuba
• Mr. David P. Janes, Chair, Board of Trustees, EngageAsia; former Director of Foundation Grants and Assistant to the President at the United States-Japan Foundation
• Dr. Ryoichi Kuboi, former Executive Director, Osaka University San Francisco Center for Education and Research; Professor Emeritus, Osaka University
• Mr. Tsuyoshi Kudo, Vice Principal, Takatsuki Jr. & Sr. High School
• Mr. Tomio Yamamoto, Teacher, Keio Hiyoshi Senior High School

If you have a question that isn't answered on the Frequently Asked Questions page, please send questions to Stanford e-Japan Manager and Instructor Waka Takahashi Brown at waka@stanford.edu or Fall session instructor Meiko Kotani at meiko@stanford.edu.

Stanford e-Japan in the News

• "Top Students of Stanford e-Japan and the Reischauer Scholars Program Are Recognized at Stanford University." August 22, 2023.
• "Critically Considering Perspectives on Social Issues in Japan." August 8, 2023.
• "My Experience at the G7 Hiroshima Junior Conference." May 23, 2023.
• "SPICE Recognizes Top Students in Stanford e-Japan and the Reischauer Scholars Program." August 19, 2022.
• "Japan Day: Recognizing Top Students in Stanford e-Japan and the Reischauer Scholars Program." August 17, 2021.
• "SPICE Recognizes Top Students in Stanford e-Japan and the Reischauer Scholars Program." April 13, 2021.
• "Ambassador John Roos and the Importance of Student-to-Student Exchange." December 1, 2020.
• "Stanford e-Japan: A Turning Point in My Life." November 17, 2020.
• "Stanford e-Japan: My Window to the Wider World." December 2, 2019.
• "The Yanai Tadashi Foundation and Stanford e-Japan: Cultivating Future Leaders in Japan." November 19, 2019.
• "Honoring High School Students from Japan and the United States: A Glow for Global Peace." September 9, 2019.
• "【日米問題を知ろう】Stanford e-Japan ~超名門大によるオンラインプログラム~." 高校生プログラム大全. April 23, 2019.
• "「東大王」鈴木光が書いた「私が考える、これからの教養のかたち」." Bunshun Online. December 4, 2018.
• "Teach English Now!" American View. U.S. Embassy Japan. September 11, 2018.
• "Japan Day 2018: Recognizing Future Leaders in the U.S.–Japan Relationship." August 22, 2018.
• "遠隔教育課程「Stanford e-Japan 」日本の高校生が教授と議論交わす スタンフォード大が提供." Kyōiku Shimbun. May 17, 2018.
• "Japan Day 2017: Recognizing High School Students in Japan and the United States." September 13, 2017.
• "Honoring High School Students from Both Sides of the Pacific." September 2, 2016.
• "Honoring High School Students from Japan." December 17, 2015.