The Sumitomo Foundation (公益財団法人住友財団) is a Tokyo-based private foundation funding Japan-related research conducted by non-Japanese scholars. The foundation's Japan-Related Research Grant program awards up to ¥2,500,000 per recipient for one-year research projects on Japanese culture, history, art, literature, religion, philosophy, society, and related humanities topics. Founded in 1991 with funding from the Sumitomo group of companies, the foundation has been one of the most consistent supporters of international Japan-studies scholarship for over three decades. For the 2027 cycle the foundation continues its existing structure with applications opening in summer 2026.
What the grant funds
The Sumitomo Japan-Related Research Grant is a research grant, not a living-cost stipend. The ¥2,500,000 award is intended to cover research expenses: fieldwork in Japan, archive and museum access fees, translation of source materials, conference travel within Japan, research-assistant fees, equipment, and book purchases. The award does not pay the recipient's salary or provide tuition support. This structural distinction is important: Sumitomo is a complement to a living-cost scholarship (MEXT, Honjo, university fellowship, or home-institution funding) rather than a replacement for one. PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers who already have living-cost support but need project funds for fieldwork are the primary audience.
Discipline focus
The foundation's scope is humanities and social sciences with an explicit Japan focus. Strong applications come from Japanese history (premodern and modern), Japanese literature, art history, religious studies, anthropology of Japan, Japanese linguistics, and Japan-related cultural studies. Japan-comparative projects where Japan is one of several cases are less competitive than projects that take Japan as the primary field. STEM research is outside scope. Pure economics or political science without a Japan- society engagement is also typically declined.
How Sumitomo fits with other 2027 funding
The Sumitomo grant is fully compatible with MEXT, Honjo, Heiwa Nakajima, and university fellowships — because it funds research expenses rather than living costs, the typical double-funding restrictions do not apply. The strongest applicant profile is a PhD candidate or post-doctoral researcher with confirmed living-cost support for the research year, applying to Sumitomo specifically for fieldwork and archive expenses. Browse all scholarships to identify living-cost options that pair with the Sumitomo research grant. For broader strategy on Japan-studies funding, see our MEXT scholarship 2027 complete guide.