The Asia-Kakehashi Project + (Plus)

Study and Live in Japan. Full Scholarships for High School Students.

Applications for 2026 are now open!

The Asia-Kakehashi Project + (Plus) 2026 invites students from the UK to study and live in Japan for 4 months. All expenses will be fully covered by the Japanese government, including travel tickets, accommodation, and school tuition.

Who’s eligible to apply?

If you’re a UK citizen between 15 and 17 years old, this exciting opportunity is open to you! We are looking for students who have some previous experience or interest in the Japanese language, whether that’s through self-study or at school. For the complete eligibility criteria, including the exact age range, please see below.

Applications are now being accepted from students all across the UK. Don’t miss out on this chance!

Duration and Programme Details

■ Duration:

19 August 2026 – 15 December 2026 (Note: The schedule is subject to change.)

■ Content:

High school students in Asia and G7 member countries will be invited to study in Japan for 4 months.
Attend Japanese high school while staying in a dormitory or with a host family (accommodation type chosen by AFS Japan).
Exposure to Japanese culture, local communities, and education.
Attend international camps (twice: together with arrival/end of stay orientations) with Japanese high school students.

■ Fee:

No fee. Full scholarship, sponsored by the Japanese Government.

■ Number of Participants:

Prospective Number of Participants from Asia and G7 countries: 100
Prospective Number of Participants from the UK: 2

■ Support:

All participants will be supported by AFS Japan’s experienced local volunteers and professional staff during the programme in Japan. Pre-programme support will be provided by AFS Wales under the AFS policies and guidelines.

■ Application Deadline: 15th March 2026

Eligibility criteria

AFS-students-AFS-Japan-exchange-family-2

Applicants to the programme in 2026 must meet the following criteria:

1. Aged between 14 years 9 months and 17 years 9 months on arrival, born between 02 Apr 2008 and 01 Apr 2011
2. UK citizen at the time of application
3. Obtained a minimum of 60% (or C grade) in the latest school examinations and has obtained an overall minimum average of 60% (C grade) in all subjects for the past two years
4. Learner of Japanese* (Participants of the Japanese speech contests are encouraged to apply and have priority for the selection.)
5. Demonstrates strong leadership potential to act as a bridge between the UK and Japan during and after the programme
6. Has not participated in the ASIA KAKEHASHI programme before

*Participants should ideally be able to read and write Hiragana and Katakana upon arrival.

Priority will be given to students of families with low incomes if we cannot recruit students meeting requirements 1 – 6.

Please note:

AFS Japan will decide your accommodation type and will select host families. Participants will meet their host families after the arrival orientation. There will not be an opportunity to contact host families prior to travelling to Japan.

Students can be placed in any area (large cities, suburban areas and rural areas). Especially in large cities and suburban areas, houses are rather small and many people live in an apartment. It is normal that children share a bedroom.

Most families are traditional nuclear families; however, students can be placed in any type of family, including a family without children, a one-parent family with children, or a retired couple.

Required Documents

Complete and submit the pre-application form as soon as possible then, once you have received it, complete and submit the full application form before 15th March 2026. Complete the addendum form, health form (to be completed by your GP) and food restrictions form and email them to [email protected], also before 15th March 2026. Download additional documents here.
You will find guides on photos, uniform measurements and food here, to help you complete your application.
Academic report from your school
If the school cannot provide the completed template form, you can provide the last 2 years’ end-of-year academic reports from your school and ask your school to complete the template form in September.
Certificate of Health
If the potential applicants cannot obtain the completed Certificate of Health from their GP before 15th March, submissions of the certificate will be accepted until 1st April. Please note that many high schools in Japan require new students to have taken x-ray examinations. These are much easier and cheaper to obtain in Japan than in the UK, so you may be asked to go for an examination upon arrival, and cover the costs.
You will need to provide a copy of your valid passport.

Download the following documents to know find out more about living in Japan:

Kakehashi Project+ Information (English)

Apply Now

Application Submission

Please submit the pre-application form (link above) as soon as possible. You will receive the full application form once we have checked your eligibility.

Please submit the full application form and all required additional documents (link to documents above) by 15th March 2026. Email the additional documents to AFS Wales at [email protected]

We will review applications immediately after 15th March.

Interviews commence from 23rd March.

Following selection, we will request a second interview with parents from the week commencing 30th March.

Enquiries

All enquiries should be directed to
AFS Wales: [email protected]

About the Asia-Kakehashi Project + (Plus)

AFS-students-AFS-Japan-exchange-students

Kakehashi is Japanese for “bridging”.

The programme’s aims are to strengthen relations between Japan and the rest of Asia and G7 member countries. The programme provides full scholarships for high school students to live and study in Japan.

The first cohort of approximately 60 students arrived in Japan in November 2023, and the programme is gradually expanding in terms of numbers and length of stay.

We interviewed two of our alumni about their experience on the Asia-Kakehashi+ Project. Click each question to read their thoughts!

What was the best part of studying in Japan?

E: The best part of studying in Japan was how easy it was to make friends and how supportive everyone was. I was lucky that my host sister was also in my class so I had a lot of help in getting to know people, I would always find myself walking to classes and sitting during breaks with different people. It is understandable that people would be excited about a new student, but I felt I connected with my class even more than just being a interesting foreign student. When it came to classes I had basically no expectations for how much I’d be able to understand, but my classes, teachers and friends were helpful in so many ways that I managed to get the most out of even the little I understood.

A: For me personally, the best part of studying in Japan was getting to know my classmates and highlighting the key differences between a Japanese highschool experience and a UK comprehensive experience. It can be quite tricky learning everyone’s names at first as it is a language unfamiliar to you, but you soon start to learn and understand everyone’s individual character, their hobbies, their favourite classes and the club that they are a part of— there are so many huge differences to the Japanese Education system and the British Education system, the expanse of club activities being just one of them! Everyday at school was a new kind of adventure. I never stopped learning about the wider culture and the immediate people around me, and I never stopped having fun, too!

How did the experience change you?

E: I was definitely a shy person going into this, I struggled talking to people I didn’t know and with making conversation. But after going through living with new people and having new friends, I got so used to having to communicate clearly in a different language that it became even easier to do so in English. My confidence grew so much over just 4 months that it was a little weird going back to school in the UK and having to be like I was before.

A: As a whole, this experience has unlocked hundreds of new pathways and possibilities that, a year ago, I would’ve deemed impossible. I now have a family in Japan, I have Japanese friends eagerly awaiting my return, I have established a new chapter of my life within a new culture and a whole other country that I would’ve never thought I’d get to explore on such a personal level. This experience is more than a ‘trip to Japan,’ you live your life as if you were a native.

What surprised you most about Japanese high school life?

E: School was so much more fun than I expected. One thing I regret was not joining a club in school, but I did watch some of the practices and saw how hard everyone was working. In lessons, all my teachers were so funny and got on well with the students, and I enjoyed quite a few of my lessons.

There is always so much to do. It can depend on your area of placement, your classmates and your school, but in Japan, there is always something new to try. I made many close friends with varying interests, too! I was nervous, but pleasantly surprised to find that no matter how different we are, we all get along!
My only real worry about studying Japan was the potential language barrier, but I was surprised to find that truthfully, you don’t need to speak the same language perfectly to build such meaningful connections. Between my broken Japanese and my friends’ broken English, we could perfectly express our feelings and our memories. We made eachother laugh and shared hundreds of jokes. We noted countless similarities between our cultures and learnt from each other beyond a basic level of understanding. Communication is key, but you can communicate outside of just your words. Kindness will spread no matter the language, I hadn’t realised it before!

How did you connect with classmates and your host community?

E: I shared some mutual interests with some friends at school so we could always talk about them, I also put effort into making plans with friends because I knew how busy they were so it often took a few attempts to find the right times. Outside of school I spent a lot of time with my host family, I joined a martial arts club that my host mum did, and went out to different festivals.

In Japan, there are always events to attend! Sometimes they’re arranged by AFS Japan, sometimes they’re arranged by your chapter and sometimes they’re arranged by the community. On Halloween, there was a huge market surrounding the train station. Me, my Japanese friends and a couple exchange students all met up, played games, shared food and had a wonderful time. I was also able to meet other Japanese high schoolers outside of my school, as we all played games together. It was the perfect way to integrate into the community.
A pivotal moment for me during my schooling was The School Festival. It is a three day celebration hosted by the school where each individual class (for example, I was in class S1B) are given the opportunity to turn their classroom into some kind of game or event. Some classes were turned into cafes where students acted as waiters, another classroom turned into a Casino where students played card games— my classroom was turned into a horror puzzle game, and I got to paint and decorate alongside my classmates! It was so fun! This moment really brought me and my friends closer together, as we were spending the entire day working alongside eachother, having fun and learning more and more about eachother. It was really beautiful. On the last day of the festival, we went to a local gyoza restaurant. It was the first time we hung out after school together. After that, we went to this gyoza restaurant every Friday after school, it became a tradition of ours.
I remember my friend, Towa, told me that she is so grateful to have met me. When I asked why, she explained that since I arrived, her and our friends have been going out more, and through me, her own friendships have drawn even closer together. What she said has really stuck with me. I just wasn’t aware of how much of a difference I could truly make.

What new skills did you gain?

E: I definitely developed my communication and public speaking skills through putting in the effort to communicate with those around me, I found this quite hard to do at first. Although I had knowledge of japanese to begin with, I became so much better, especially conversationally, while I was out there. I tried so many new things at school and with my families, like fishing, instruments and sports.

A: In Japan, I developed a whole new sense of independence. This whole experience has really helped me to grow as a person and develop a newfound sense of confidence leading into my adult life, both via building new relationships and learning to navigate life in a foreign country. I had a lot of responsibilities and many events to attend, but I had a very loving Host Family, LP, and many friends to help and support me when necessary!

How has this shaped your future plans?

E: Although I’m still not certain, as far as jobs go, what I want to do next after leaving school, it would be almost impossible for me to not return to Japan at some point. Ideally my job would allow , if not necessitate travel, as I’ve found through this experience that even countries on the other side of the world are not that far and not that different.

A: During University, I’m hoping to take a year abroad to visit Japan once again. I’m now considering a job in International Relations, which is a career path I never even thought of until I visited Japan. I want the whole world to learn about Welsh culture, and I want us as Welsh citizens to learn more about the world in turn— especially Japan!

What would you say to someone thinking of applying?

E: Definitely do it, so few people can say they’ve had this experience, and I know how jealous everyone around me was that I got to spend 4 months in a different country, especially at such a young age. Even if you’re having doubts about whether or not it’s something you can do, it’s better to apply now and make the choice later than not apply and regret it.

A: Be yourself, and don’t be afraid. This experience will change your life. Four months may seem like a long time away from home, but in the long run, it’s much too short! There is nothing more I would recommend than applying to the Asia Kakehashi programme. The world is absolutely beautiful.