Promoting global understanding

The Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation was established in 1959 to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko.  The purpose of the scholarship is to promote better understanding between the people of Japan and the United States by offering scholarships to study in Japan and Hawai‘i.

Japanese scholars receive a full-tuition scholarship for one or two years of study at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, a $25,000 annual stipend, and roundtrip airfare from Japan to Honolulu.

American scholars receive a $30,000 scholarship award for one year of study in Japan, a $15,000 annual stipend, and roundtrip airfare from Honolulu to Japan.

A total of 148 scholarships have been awarded since 1973.

Scholarship recipients include:

Junichi Yagi (2016-2018) 

Junichi Yagi received a Master of Arts in Language and Culture at Osaka University. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Second Language Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His research interests focus mostly on how people learn language in non-classroom settings—including everyday conversation among ordinary people. Specifically, he is interested in exploring how second language interactions that involve music (e.g. rehearsals of a jazz band with multicultural members) may provide opportunities for language (and culture) learning. In other words, his goal is to illustrate the very nature of what learning looks like “outside of/beyond the classroom.”

Jennifer Yoo (2017-2018)

Jennifer Yoo received a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies degree from Wellesley College. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in University of Hawai‘i’s Asian Theater program, with a focus in Japanese theatre. Her primary academic interest is women’s representation in media and culture, which she will explore in her dissertation, “Thy Name is Woman: Performing the Feminine Ghost in Japanese Theatre and Cinema.”  Her historical and cultural knowledge of Asian theatre also fuels her playwriting.  Her first play, Fire Horse, was selected as a regional finalist for Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival 49.  She will be doing her research in Japan at the Ritsumeikan's Art Research Center.