Tanaka & Green Scholarship

Congratulations to the Tanaka and Green Class of 2024!

Adam Gruner – University of Maryland (Waseda University)

Connor Iorio – Montana State University (Kwansei Gakuin)

Joseph Lind – American University (Ritsumeikan University)

Eliana Pisons – American University (Ritsumeikan University)

Praharshitha Thumati – University of California, San Diego (Hitotsubashi University)

About

green-tanaka — *H. William Tanaka (left) and Ambassador Marshall Green (right), both past presidents of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC.*

In 2014 JASWDC established the Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarships to support short-term academic study (one semester or one academic year) at colleges and universities in Japan. The scholarships are made possible thanks to the Society’s H. William and Lily Tanaka Scholarship Endowment and the Marshal and Lispenard Green Educational Endowment.

The Society will give up to $4,250 for one academic year and up to $3,000 for one academic semester for the 2023-2024 academic year. The scholarship may be used for any combination of tuition and other academic fees, room and board, travel and transportation (including travel within Japan), and other approved expenses.

About H. William Tanaka

About Marshall Green

Featured Essays

My Semester in Matsuyama

Benjamin Wolstein 2022/2023 Tanaka & Green Scholarship Recipient

Reflection Essay

My Time in Kyoto

Mariana Salas, 2022/2023 Tanaka & Green Scholarship Recipient

Reflection Essay

My Semester at Hitotsubashi University

Mina Mori, 2021/2022 Tanaka & Green Scholarship Recipient

Reflection Essay

Requirements for Applicants

Must be enrolled full-time in an undergraduate or graduate school in the United States.
Must provide proof of acceptance at a college or university in Japan as a full-time foreign exchange student for either one semester or one academic year.
Must provide proof that the program in Japan is an approved student exchange program of the applicant’s home college or university in the US.
Must intend to return to the college or university in the United States.
May be majors in any subject, but must demonstrate that they have taken or plan to take academic courses related to Japan, whether in the US or at the college or university in Japan.
Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States

Application Procedure for 2023-2024

Applicants should submit the online application form  before the deadline of Monday, July 31st, 2023, at 11:59 PM EDT. All applicants will be requested to submit the following supplemental documents through the online application form:

School transcripts from the past academic year.

(A) Proof of acceptance at a college or university in Japan and (B) certification that the proposed academic study is an official student exchange program of the college or university you attend in the US. This can be a letter or notice from either the home institution in the US or the Japanese college or university.

One letter of recommendation from a professor or academic advisor.
A 1-page essay (Times New Roman, 12pt font) telling us about your connection to Japan – past, present, and future. You may want to consider the following when writing your essay.

Why did you become interested in Japan?

How have you pursued your interest in Japan, both inside and outside the classroom?

Tell us about your study of Japan’s language, culture, history, and society.

What Japan-related courses have you taken in college/university, and how did they affect you?

What do you plan to study during your time in Japan, and how do you think that will benefit your plans for the future?

What kind of “Japan connection” do you hope to establish for yourself in the future, after you receive your degree?

You do not need to submit these documents separately from your application. Failure to submit all required documents or to fully complete the application will render the applicant ineligible.  JASWDC will not follow up if an application is incomplete.

Selection and Announcement

The Scholarship Committee will review all applications in accordance with the requirements, priorities, and preferences listed above. JASWDC will inform scholarship awardees by August 24th, 2023.  

Payment will be made in two allotments. An initial payment of up to $3,000 (one semester) or up to $4,000 (one academic year) will be made before the academic study in Japan commences, and a second payment of $1,000 will be made after the study in Japan is over and the required report has been submitted to JASWDC. The required report (1-2 pages) should describe the student’s experience in Japan, both academic and non-academic, and how that experience has affected their thinking and knowledge about Japan and their plans for the future.

Inquiries

Any questions about the JASWDC Tanaka and Green Scholarships Program should be submitted in writing to JASWDC at [email protected] for response by the Scholarship Committee. Please do not call.

Priorities and Preferences for Reviewing and Screening Applications

In reviewing applications, the JASWDC Scholarship Committee will give priority and preference to applicants who can demonstrate a combination of any of the following factors: 

Are legal residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia (i.e., you may be studying at a college or university anywhere in the US, but your home/parents’ home is in DC, MD, VA)
Are members or are children of members of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC
Have interned with the Japan-America Society of Washington DC
Have volunteered with the Japan-America Society of Washington DC
Have participated in the National Japan Bowl®
Have studied and/or are currently studying the Japanese language
Have studied and/or are currently taking academic courses on Japanese history, culture, society, politics, arts, literature, etc.
Have participated in extra-curricular activities related to Japan outside the academic classroom (for example, ikebana, tea ceremony, or Japanese cooking lessons; Japanese martial arts; Japan culture clubs, etc.)

Recipients for 2022-2023

Congratulations to the 2022-23 recipients of the Tanaka & Green Scholarship!

Mariana Salas – American University (Ritsumeikan University) (report)

Adriel Perez – Georgetown University (Keio University)

Kai Thompson – Drexel University (Sophia University) (report)

Rebekah Blume – University of Maryland (Waseda University) (report)

Benjamin Wolstein – Columbia University (Doshisha University) (report)

Charity McLaughlin – Temple University (Temple Japan) (report)

Kaitlyn Yuan – George Washington University (Akita International University) (report)

Recipients for 2021-2022

Congratulations to the 2021-22 recipients of the Tanaka & Green Scholarship!

Franchesca Johnson – The College of William and Mary (Keio University)

Lauryn Mcmeans – Randolph-Macon College (Kansai Gaidai University) (report)

Mina Mori – University of Virginia (Hitotsubashi University) (report)

Recipients for 2020-2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no scholarships were awarded.

Recipients for 2019-2020

The study abroad reports written by the recipients of the Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarship for the 2019-2020 school year can be viewed by clicking the links below.

David Austin Aguilar – University of Texas-Austin
Kyoto University

Rachel Flatt – Middlebury College (report)
International Christian University

Peri Johnson – University of Maryland, Baltimore County (report)
Nanzan University

De-Jia Long-Hillie – University of Maryland, Baltimore County (report)
Nanzan University

Jacqueline Marquis – George Mason University (report)
Aoyama Gakuin

Alice Perrine – University of Virginia
Waseda University

Kelly Shea – The College of William & Mary (report)
Keio University

Recipients for 2018-2019

The study abroad reports written by the recipients of the Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarship for the 2018-2019 school year can be viewed by clicking the links below.

Dair Cruz- University of Maine (report)
Waseda University

Heather Heimbach- Columbia University (report)
Doshisha University

Tatem Hughes- University of North Texas at Denton (report)
Kwansei Gakuin University

Rowena Kobrak- American University (report)
Waseda University

Gabriel Lovejoy- Saint John’s University (report)
Bunkyo Gakuin University

Recipients for 2017-2018

The study abroad reports written by the recipients of the Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarship for the 2017-2018 school year can be viewed by clicking the links below.

Gabriela Trimble-Quiz- University of Texas at Austin
Sophia University

Jenna Reed- California State University, Chico (report)
Shinshu University

Hannah Jeong- George Mason University (report)
Sophia University

Gabrielle Oliver- Howard University (report)
Kansai Gaidai University

Maya Rao- University of Maryland (report)
Waseda University

Hayley Snowden- The College of William & Mary (report)
Keio University

Lendell Williams- George Washington University
Waseda University

Recipients for 2016-2017

The study abroad reports written by the recipients of the Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarship for the 2016-2017 school year can be viewed by clicking the links below.

Crystal Brooks- Shepherd University (report)
Akita International University

Emily Howard- The George Washington University (report)
Waseda University

Elizabeth Thorne- American Univeristy (report)
Waseda University

Amy Wei- Johns Hopkins University (report)
University of Tokyo

Kevin Yuan- Georgetown University (report)
Waseda University

Recipients for 2015-2016

The study abroad reports written by the recipients of the Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarship for the 2015-2016 school year can be viewed by clicking the links below.