Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE)Fellowship

Fully Funded Japan-Africa Animation Fellowship

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

The Japan International Cooperation Center runs this exchange for Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part of the wider Japan-Africa Youth Program. Twenty people from ten African animation studios spend around twelve days in Japan, meeting anime creators, industry bodies and the schools that train them. Applications are made by the studio, which nominates one executive and one creative professional.

What you get:

Round-trip economy flights between your country of residence and Japan, arranged and paid for by JICE
Accommodation, transport and meals throughout the programme in Japan, plus admission fees for scheduled activities
Accommodation in transit countries where the routing requires it
Overseas travel accident and sickness insurance
Supporting documents for a Japanese short-stay visa, and coordination with the Japanese embassy in your country

What you'll do:

Attend a required online pre-exchange orientation from your own country before you travel
Exchange views with people working across the Japanese anime industry
Visit anime production sites, universities and other anime-related institutions
Give a five to ten minute reporting session covering your studio, what you learned in Japan, and where you could collaborate next

Key dates:

Applications close September 8, 2026 at 23:59 Japan Standard Time
Results notified in early October 2026
Programme runs December 6 to December 17, 2026, with December 7 to 16 spent in Japan

More information:

The online sessions and the programme in Japan run mainly in Japanese, with English and French translation provided
No cash allowance is paid, and travel between your home and the departure airport is not covered
The assigned flight cannot be changed even at your own cost

Who can apply

Hold the nationality of a member state of the African Union, and not hold Japanese nationality
Be up to 39 years old
Be affiliated with an animation studio based in Africa
Be able to communicate in English, French or Japanese
Applications are submitted by the company, not the individual. One application per company, nominating one executive decision-maker and one creator
Ten companies are selected in total, giving twenty participants
People who live in Japan, or who have stayed in Japan for more than twelve months, are in principle not eligible
Young animation professionals at studios based in Africa, and the executives who run them. You apply through your studio rather than on your own, so this suits someone whose company is willing to put its name to the application and nominate them.

AI Verification

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Good to know

+Everything is paid for: return flights to Japan, accommodation, transport, meals, entry to scheduled activities and travel insurance.
+They provide the documents for your Japanese visa and coordinate with the embassy in your country.
+Twelve days in Japan meeting anime creators, visiting production studios and seeing the schools that train them.
+Run by the Japan International Cooperation Center for Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so it is government backed.
+You can take part in English, French or Japanese. Translation is provided throughout.

Worth checking yourself

!You cannot apply as an individual. Your studio applies and nominates you, one application per company, choosing one executive and one creator.
!Open only to nationals of African Union member states who work at an animation studio based in Africa, and you must be 39 or under.
!There is no cash allowance. You also pay to get from your home to the departure airport, and for your passport if you need one.
!The sessions run mainly in Japanese with English and French translation, so expect to work through an interpreter.
!Only ten studios are chosen, giving twenty places in total.
!The programme runs 6 to 17 December 2026, so check those dates now.

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