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Selection Criteria: Hitachi Fellows must be American citizens between the ages of 27 and 45. They may be drawn from academia (including think tanks), government (including the executive and legislative branches at both the federal and state levels), business or the media. The program is intended for non-specialists in Japan; in exceptional cases, however, the Council may select people with substantial prior experience in Japan, e.g. where the selection committee considers that the Hitachi Fellowship would add a significant new dimension to a candidate's career. Fellows will be selected on the basis of their academic and professional accomplishments and promise, the merits of their specific research or action proposals, and on the basis of personal qualities conducive to promoting cross-cultural communication and cooperation. Knowledge of the Japanese language is not a requirement.
The program does not fund pre- or post-doctoral scholarly research, work toward a degree, or the completion of projects on which substantial progress has been made prior to the Fellowship period.
Applicants may be considered for an International Affairs Fellowship in Japan, a general International Affairs Fellowship, or some combination of the two, as appropriate to the applicant's research or professional objectives.
Application for fellowships is primarily by invitation, on the recommendation of a individuals in academic, government and other institutions, who have occasion to know young persons particularly well suited for the experience offered by this fellowship. Others who inquire directly and who meet preliminary requirements may also be invited to apply without formal nomination. Those invited to apply will be forwarded application materials. Following a preliminary screening by the Selection Committee, those candidates who are selected as finalists will be interviewed and may be asked to furnish additional material.
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